DRAFT for a Joint Retrospective
40 years of artistic practice
April 3–July 26, 2026
DRAFT for a Joint Retrospective is the first exhibition in Romania to bring together the works of Lia Perjovschi and Dan Perjovschi in a large-scale joint exhibition, taking place at ARCUB—Cultural Center of Bucharest Municipality. On view from April 3 through July 26, 2026, at ARCUB—Hanul Gabroveni (Bucharest, Romania) the exhibition marks 40 years of artistic practice by two of the most influential figures in Romanian contemporary art.
The exhibition brings together key works that have shaped the local art scene and strengthened the international presence of Romanian contemporary art.
Spread across all three levels of Hanul Gabroveni, DRAFT for a Joint Retrospective places the two artists’ practices in dialogue: from Dan Perjovschi’s incisive drawings and wall interventions, inspired by political realities and everyday life, to Lia Perjovschi’s research-based projects, archives, and conceptual installations, developed through an interdisciplinary approach to knowledge.
Rather than a conventional retrospective, DRAFT is conceived as a living, evolving exhibition: a collage of works, ideas, contexts, and realities tracing the trajectory from dictatorship to democracy, from censorship to freedom of expression.
Throughout the exhibition, the program will be expanded through guided tours, conversations, and presentations by Romanian and international guests.
Born in Sibiu (Romania) in 1961, Lia and Dan Perjovschi have together realized more than one thousand exhibitions, workshops, and presentations. They were awarded the European Cultural Foundation Princess Margriet Award in 2012, and their first retrospective took place in 2007 at the Nasher Museum of Art, Duke University, USA.
Their joint exhibitions have been presented at institutions including the Art Museums of Skopje and Brașov, Total Museum Seoul, IFA Stuttgart and Berlin, Rupert Vilnius, Parasite Ljubljana, Kunsthalle Göppingen, and Kunstraum Innsbruck, as well as galleries such as Christine König, Vienna; Michel Rein, Paris; Espaivisor, Valencia; and Orizont, Bucharest.
Their work has also been included in the Biennials of Sydney and São Paulo, and in exhibitions at Centre Pompidou, MoMA New York, Walker Art Center Minneapolis, Moderna Galerija Ljubljana, Zachęta National Gallery Warsaw, and Cabaret Voltaire Zürich.
“Dan and Lia Perjovschi art is of singular significance in the development of experimental art in Romania since the late 1980s. The Perjovschis’ work matured under the double pressures of Romanian socialism and Soviet communism. In response to these influences, both artists forged original and challenging forms of visual expression in drawing, performance, installation, and conceptual practices, as well as in the analysis and use of mass media. (…) Lia and Dan Perjovschi have made art that is true to history, nation, and self. They have produced very different oeuvres, and as the composite LiaDan, they have illuminated the meaning of each other’s work, collaborated on behalf of other artists and Romanian society, and sought through art to make global issues more transparent. Their aesthetically and politically charged art assists viewers to think, feel, and laugh. (…) Dan and Lia Perjovschi’s art is about crisis, change, and endurance that reaches beyond the personal to engage the world and inspire viewers to live with courage.” —Kristine Stiles (Professor of Art, Art History & Visual Studies, Duke University, US) from Lia and Dan Perjovschi. States of Mind, Nasher Museum Duke University, 2007
Opening hours
Wednesday–Friday: 1–9pm* / Saturday–Sunday: 11am–9pm / Monday–Tuesday: Closed.
*On Thursdays, from 4–9pm, admission to the exhibition is free. Tickets available on ARCUB.ro, Entertix.ro, and at the ARCUB box office.
