Since 1992, Dan Perjovschi has contributed to weekly paper '22' – so named after the fall of Ceausescu on 22 December 1989. ‘22’ serves as Bucharest’s mainstay opposition paper in a media climate still dominated by former Securitat journalists with communist and nationalistic leanings. Perjovschi executes spontaneous drawings for the paper based on current events. During Manifesta 2 this concept was developed into a visual diary and exhibition as a result of a similar collaboration with two Luxembourg newspapers.

Perjovschi was Artist in Residence at Collective Gallery in Edinburgh during the Edinburgh Festivals in 2004 as part of a Visiting Arts project. For this residency he mixed with performers and the viewing public producing a free newspaper and daily panels of his drawings in response to the festival"s culture and debates. Panels were installed throughout the city – in reference to communist era news reports pasted onto factory walls. One such sketch during this series depicts various personal possessions. A credit card and festival programme were specifically annotated and ‘Obligatory Elements’ was written above it making reference to the festival’s commercialism.

Perjovschi uses drawing as performance and installation. Functioning as ‘public art’ he actively circulates ideas within society – conducting a running commentary on socially and politically prevalent issues. Closer in context to satirical cartoon than to traditional drawing his works serve as a medium through which he can broach political, economic and artistic subjects and a desire for societal change. In one playfully critical example he draws a man with holes in his head standing beneath a bathroom showerhead. He looks up at the shower expectantly but no water flows from it. Dissociating drawing from its traditional decorative or expressive labelling, his work is a temporal, anthropological and fast paced performance. The work concerns the artist’s daily intervention with his immediate environment and the world and his spontaneous drawing in response:

‘Even when covering the walls and floors of a building, such drawings are meant to be erased. It is the flux and progress of the cartoon which is important, and in order to be continued this must be ephemeral.’

Judit Angel ‘Report II’, rESt, 48 Venice Biennial, Romanian Pavilion, 1999

Perjovschi’s work, particularly extensive pieces that comprise hundreds of tiny drawings have been exhibited internationally since the mid 90s, including the 48th Venice Bienale 1995, Manifesta 2 in Luxembourg, 9th Istanbul Biennial 2005 and prominent international galleries and institutions that include Hamburger Banhoff, Berlin; Chicago Museum of Modern Art; Raum fur Kunst, Graz; and Moderna Museet, Stockholm. The artist has recently participated in a group exhibition ‘I Still Believe in Miracles, Dessins Sans Papier’ at ARC - Musee d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris and ‘Naked Drawings’ a solo show at Ludwig Museum, Koln.

Dan Perjovschi. Interview with Farris Wahbeh December 2003 Courtesey of: www.artic.edu
Author: Cate Rickards