A fresh started book collection
( 2013, ongoing)
In my age group is a subjective collection of books, mostly the last ones written by their authors. With two exceptions, they were all in their 30s when they passed away. When I started to collect and read these books I was curios to find out if there are any similarities, any common point, clichés such as a sort of exaggerate pathos or some sort of feeling of anxiety, since all of these writers decided to end their lives. Only some of the books have indeed a sort of pattern, for example the depression as a stable subject, but few are full of wit lines and even great humor that celebrate life rather than undervalue it.
My approach may seem morbid, but that was not at all my intention. The one single biographical common element that connects the authors it was not the goal, but just a starting point. Biography of the writer and literature sometimes match, sometimes the second is mostly fictional. Just as any art piece, the artist may decide how much wants to delimitate the creative process from personal life.
Books:
Better, by John O’Brien
The Godwits Fly, by Robin Hyde
A Fool’s Life, by Ryunosuke Akutagawa
The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath
Chess- A Novel, by Stefan Zweig
The Satyricon, by Petronius Arbiter
A Confederacy of Dunces, by John Kennedy Toole
Die stille Gewalt der Träume, by K. Sello Duiker
El diario de Geza Csath / Diary of Geza Csath, by Géza Csáth
Murder, by Danielle Collobert
Doctor Dare: Spear of Destiny v. 1, by George Caragonne
Le roman cassé et derniers écrits, by René Crevel
A Gent from Bear Creek And Other Tales, by Robert, E. Howard
Notre besoin de consolation est impossible à rassasier, by Stig Dagerman, Philippe Bouquet
La Déchéance d’un homme, by Dazaï Osamu
Billedpistolen, by Michael Strunge
Cristina David, contemporary artist based in Bucharest. She studied at the Faculty of Mathematics and at the National Art University of Bucharest, in Romania. In 2007 she received an MA in Fine Arts at the Art Academy in Bergen, Norway. Her art works were exhibit in galleries and museums from around the world, among which some of the relevant exhibitions venues and contemporary art events are: the Contemporary Art Museum of Bucharest, Video Art Biennial (Tel- Aviv), Shedhalle (Zurich), Montehermoso Art Space (Vitoria- Spain), Futura Gallery (Prague), Manifesta8- Contemporary Art Biennial (Spain), The Performance Art Institute (PAI) (San Francisco), Rotor gallery (Graz), Freiraum Q21- MuseumsQuartier (Wien), tranzit.org/ Iasi. In 2014 her first artist publication was released by tranzit.ro/ Iasi, called Fakes. In 2015, together with art theoretician Alina Serban Cristina initiated a one semester university course for the National Art University of Bucharest, called Clowns of Catastrophe: A Decade of Radicalism, Humor and Identity Politics in Romania, former Yugoslavia and ex-Soviet Space.
Cristina David, artistă vizuală, locuiește în București. A urmat cursurile Facultății de matematică timp de doi ani, apoi a absolvit Facultatea de arte vizuale din cadrul Universității naționale de arte din București. În 2007 a absolvit programul de masterat al Academiei de artă din Bergen, Norvegia. Lucrările acesteia au fost arătate în diferite spații de expunere și în cadrul anumitor evenimente de artă contemporană, precum: Muzeul național de artă contemporană (București), Video Art Biennial (Tel- Aviv), Shedhalle (Zurich), Montehermoso Art Space (Vitoria- Spania), Futura Gallery (Praga), Manifesta8- Contemporary Art Biennial (Spania), The Performance Art Institute (PAI) (San Francisco), Rotor gallery (Graz), tranzit.ro/ Iași, Freiraum Q21- MuseumsQuartier (Viena). În 2014 a apărut prima publicație de artist- Fakes/ Falsuri- produsă de către tranzit.ro/ Iași. În 2015 a inițiat împreună cu curatoarea și istoricul de artă Alina Șerban un curs universitar la Universitatea națională de artă din București numit Clovnii Catastrofei: un deceniu de radicalism, umor și politici identitare în România, fosta Iugoslavie și spațiul ex-Sovietic.