Romantica

Romantica is an installation that uses rebars – normally found on construction sites – bent into three-dimensional letters referring to the original signboard of the Romantica cinema, built on Czerniakowska Street in Kielce in 1963. In 2004, following the establishment of the Kinoplex, Romantica was closed down due to the end of funding from the state-owned Apollo Film company. lts signboard was tucked away in the basement of the building. Shortly after the cłosure of the cinema, the building was privatised and converted for retail and service use. In the past two years, following another resale of the building, plans for its demolition have begun to materialise. The old Romantica cinema is to be replaced by a run-of-the-mill residential tower błock. However, despite its inactivity, the Romantica cinema is still a land mark on the map of Kielce. In everyday speech, the building was simply referred to as the Romantica – identified by its proper name rather than its original function. lt was this loss of the context of the place that inspired the artist to create an installation whose title refers directly to the theme of this year’s SURVIVAL. The translocation of the eponymous word to a new place highlights its meaning rather than the original context. In this way, the installation is perceived as a spatial and visual message. Romantica refers to the historical legacy, the processes of forgetting and erasing history and the perception of the past determined by generational experience and sensitivity.