Faith and the Human Experience: the Art of Mircea Cantor


A sculpture of a roughly-made coffin with a coin slotWith a Free Smile, terracotta

Mircea Cantor was born in Romania and now lives and works on “Earth” – according to his CV. His works span a variety of media, though he has a particular fondness for film and installation pieces.

 


A video still of a young boy lining up three knives on a table topWind Orchestra (stills), HD video

Cantor ‘s works often explore themes of faith and the human experience, using mundane materials in combination with mediums like film and animation, or traditional sculptural materials, to create beauty out of objects where it might normally be overlooked. In the past few years, he has taken to recruiting his children in his works – in Wind Orchestra, made in 2012, he films his young son lining up three knives on a table and then blowing them over. While the film could be a simple home movie of a child playing a game on a table, the choice to use knives adds an element of danger and a darker edge.

 


An image of a steel crate filled with garlic clovesUnderestimated Consequences, garlic, powder-coated steel

 

Other works by Cantor echo religious symbols in everyday materials, such as Rosace, a huge mandala constructed of folded soda cans.

Written by: Dallas Jeffs
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