Our exhibition proposal for the Opening section at ARCO Madrid 2023 presents an interplay between works by two Romanian artists, Adrian Ganea (b. 1989) and Hortensia Mi Kafchin (b. 1986), employing a very diverse range of mediums – from charcoal and pastel drawing, sculpture, installation to video game. Almost all works were specially produced for the fair, following dialogues and exchanges between the two artists regarding the idea of luck as a powerful cultural symbol, also resulting in a collaborative work. 

The two artists are strongly connected by their interest in using science and mechanics in their production means and imagery while employing esoteric, mythical references in their works. For ARCO, Adrian Ganea presents a series of resin sculptures extracted from his 3D simulations and a video game, which integrates Kafchin’s digital works – as she has recently started experimenting with the artistic possibilities of the VR medium. This 3D simulation will enable the viewer to unlock different game levels and interact with digital objects made by each of the artists. Ganea’s sculptures, which draw on Greek mythology and ecology, are set in close dialogue with Kafchin’s canvases which merge personal artifacts, corporeality, cosmology, science, and occult symbols into surrealist multi-layered compositions.