The visual artist and curator will also give a talk as part of the Art History Happy Hour: "In the Now"
We are delighted to announce our support for the inclusion of Romanian photographer Alexandra Croitoru in a new exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum entitled "In the Now: Gender and Nation in Europe, Selections from the Sir Mark Fehrs Haukohl Photography Collection". This exhibition brings together nearly 50 women artists from Europe, exploring themes of power, identity, and history through the lens of photography. Running from March 8 to July 7, 2024, the exhibition delves into issues such as migration, the enduring impact of nationalism in Europe, and the pervasive influence of patriarchal power structures.
Through the photographic techniques she uses, the artist challenges the historically male-centric narrative of photography, offering fresh perspectives on societal norms and expectations. Alexandra Croitoru's work specifically sheds light on the societal and patriarchal pressures faced by women.
Furthermore, Alexandra Croitoru will present her series of photographs featured in the collection during a public event on May 30, 2024, as part of the Art History Happy Hour. This presentation aims to foster an open dialogue between the artist, organizers, and attendees, inviting the New York City art community to engage with contemporary perspectives on gender and nationhood in Europe.
Access to the event is by ticket only. More details on the organizers' website: TICKETS.
Meet the Artist
ALEXANDRA CROITORU (b. 1975) is a visual artist and curator based in Bucharest (RO). Between 1993 and 1998 she studied at The National Academy of Arts Bucharest. Since 1999 she has been teaching at the Photo-Video department of the same institution. Her projects have been presented in exhibitions organized by institutions such as Kunsthalle Winterthur, MNAC Bucharest, tranzit.ro/ Bucharest, Club Electroputere Craiova, MUMOK Vienna, Zachęta National Gallery of Art Warsaw, Shedhalle Zürich, Casino Luxembourg, Künstlerhaus Bethanien Berlin, Salon of the Museum of Contemporary Art Belgrade, Kunsthallen Nikolaj Copenhagen, Centre for Contemporary Art Plovdiv, Kunsthalle project space Vienna, Brukenthal Museum Sibiu, among other. Her PhD research (2010/2014 UNArte Bucharest) was focused on the “nationalization” of Brancusi in Romania and was the starting point for the book she published in 2015—"Brancusi. An Afterlife" (IDEA Cluj & Archive Books Berlin). She is a founder of the independent art space SALONUL DE PROIECTE in Bucharest, a platform for art production and research. Since 2011 she has been co-curating its public program and editing its publications.
About the Exhibition
In the Now: Gender and Nation in Europe, Selections from the Sir Mark Fehrs Haukohl Photography Collection
March 8–July 7, 2024
Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, 4th Floor
In the Now unites nearly fifty women artists who are resisting traditional ideas of gender and nationality, as well as of photography itself. The first museum survey of photography-based works by women artists born or based in Europe, this exhibition interrogates the continent’s legacies of nationalism and patriarchal power structures — which continue to shape everyday life, particularly for women. In the Now highlights the expansive nature of the Sir Mark Fehrs Haukohl Photography Collection at the Brooklyn Museum and Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Made entirely after 2000, the exhibition’s more than seventy artworks offer a window into the first decades of the twenty-first century. In the section titled “Gender,” photographers such as Bettina von Zwehl and Elina Brotherus contend with (mis)representations of women’s bodies and experiences, bucking against oppressive beauty standards and the male gaze. “Nation” unpacks the promises — and realities — of contemporary Europe and the ongoing fallout of European nationalism and colonialism. The controlled explosion in Sarah Pickering’s Landmine (2005), for example, underscores the relative peace in England as British troops supported the U.S. invasion of Iraq. And in “Photography,” women artists upend this male-dominated medium with experimental approaches—as in Shirana Shahbazi’s Farsh-13-2006 (2006), a Vermeer-inspired photographic portrait translated onto a carpet hand-knotted in her native Iran. Together the works defy outdated definitions of a woman, an artist, a nation, and a photograph.
About the Event
Art History Happy Hour: In the Now
Thursday, May 30, 2024, 7–9 pm
Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Pavilion and Lobby, 1st Floor
Art History Happy Hour continues with an evening of lighthearted and informative lectures celebrating In the Now: Gender and Nation in Europe, Selections from the Sir Mark Fehrs Haukohl Photography Collection. Featured guests are curator Carmen Hermo, curatorial assistant Imani Williford, exhibiting artist Alexandra Croitoru, and scholar Barbora Bartunkova. Look at and learn about works by nearly 50 women artists who are resisting traditional ideas of gender and nationality, as well as of photography itself.
The event, organized in partnership with the Consulate General of Switzerland in New York, is occasioned by the apparition of the bilingual backrooms game