Oscar Murillo and Timisoara’s layers of history – Annihilation, renewal and collective mourning
Oscar Murillo, awarded in 2019 with the Turner Prize, exhibits at the Art Encounters Biennial in Timisoara the in situ installation “The Institute of Reconciliation/ Institutul reconcilierii”, initiated in 2014 by the Colombian artist.
In constant transformation, it now occupies an entire room in the Garrison Headquarters. Black canvases cover the green space, and the visitor can enter the installation that speaks of annihilation, renewal and collective mourning. The work tackles geopolitical themes, contrasting the homogenization of emerging cultures with darkness, an occasion for encounter and empathy.
“I invited him specifically with this project, but it was actually the space here that inspired the installation. When we started talking, he had an idea that seemed like something already prepared, then I sent him images and the floor plan of the building and he said he wanted to work with the layers of history and asked us not to do anything with the space, to leave it as it is. He is always trying to address the identity of the space and creates a way through which you can get into the canvases that emphasize the tension between anxiety and reconciliation,” Tevž Logar, curator of this year’s biennial, explained to Curatorial.
Oscar Murillo, Institutul reconcilierii; curatorial
On one of the walls of the room where the installation is located is written, in Romanian, with a crayon: “In March-April 1990, a team from Sud-West Funk television in Bavaria made a documentary in Timișoara. The film explores the destiny of a family of intellectuals caught in the schizophrenic game of communism and post-revolutionary transition. Their story reveals the drama and hope of a society undergoing profound change”.
Oscar Murillo, Institutul reconcilierii, detaliu; curatorial
“Before the Biennale, there was an exhibition here, there was a club, and Murillo liked these different layers of events that took place,” Logar added.
About Oscar Murillo
Oscar Murillo (b. 1986, La Paila, Colombia) is an artist whose practice encompasses painting, video, sound, installation and collaborative projects. His work explores collectivity, shared culture and contemporary society, often engaging with social dynamics through performance events.
Murillo invites collaboration on such projects as painting black layers of canvas in community centers, hosting a caretakers’ party at the Serpentine Gallery, and staging a public performance in Venice.
His ongoing global project, Frequencies (2013-present), involves students drawing on raw canvas, which is then transformed into new works such as paintings, sculptures, sound pieces and animations.
Murillo received his BFA from the University of Westminster (2007) and his MFA from the Royal College of Art (2012). In 2019, he was one of four artists to jointly win the prestigious Turner Prize, and in 2023 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Westminster. His solo exhibitions include ‘Masses’ (WIELS, Brussels, 2024) and ‘A Storm Is Blowing From Paradise’ (Venice, 2022). Oscar Murillo’s work can be found in major museum collections around the world.
Bienala Art Encounters, curated by Ana Janevski (MoMA New York) and Tevž Logar (independent curator), is hosted by three venues in Timișoara – the Garrison Commissariat, Faber and the Art Encounters Foundation – until 13 July 2025.
