Untitled 1980

Curator: I'm immediately struck by the interlocking shapes; there's a powerful tension created by the composition. Editor: Indeed. The sculpture, simply titled "Untitled," was created by Mihai Olos in 1980. It's ceramic, exhibiting a striking interplay of geometric forms. I'm especially drawn to the smooth, deliberate way that those ceramic modules have been assembled. Curator: I see ancient architectural echoes, like ziggurats or labyrinthine city plans viewed from above. But the glossy finish disrupts that entirely. The deep blue and the earthenware create a contrast that pulls on cultural memory, wouldn’t you agree? Editor: The high-gloss glaze also speaks to industrial ceramic processes from the 20th century. What seems handcrafted has been streamlined, processed—you see evidence of both tradition and manufacturing. How do these elements relate to Olos' cultural roots, and what might these specific materials and colors represent in Romanian cultural symbology? Curator: Good question! We see so much symbolism rooted in color, even universal feelings attributed to shades of blue. Does this piece embody a sense of sorrow, royalty, the infinite sky? How does the artist play on our associations, and maybe subvert or reconstruct them? Editor: And what does it mean to choose clay, a primal medium, for geometric abstraction? Olos highlights the possibilities and limitations inherent to mass production techniques. This is definitely an exciting fusion of high and low cultural values; abstract expressionism applied to an otherwise humble material, but formed through an intellectual process of repetition and scaling up of smaller modules. Curator: It feels both calculated and raw. This piece clearly offers a playground of ideas and historical connections, wouldn't you say? Editor: Absolutely, I find myself compelled to explore other aspects related to ceramic production in Eastern Europe during the late 20th century... Thanks for this journey into material history and symbolic form! Curator: My pleasure. There's so much to decode here; it seems this sculpture reveals something new each time we look.