ARCUB – Gabroveni Inn Cultural Centre in downtown Bucharest is hosting a special exhibition dedicated to the local midsummer celebration of Sânziene, which takes place on the 24th of June.
The Miresele Soarelui/Brides of the Sun exhibition, which features precious pieces of traditional wear enhanced by multimedia and floral installations curated by Iulia Gorneanu and Ana Maria Crişan, will be on show from June 19 to 25 in ARCUB’s Boltilor Hall, 84 – 90 Lipscani Boulevard.
Women’s holiday and day shirts from the beginning of the 20th century are on display, alongside traditional costumes from various parts of the country and old ornaments.
The „Brides of the sun” exhibition at ARCUB – Gabroveni Inn reconstructs the aura of mystery and magic of Noptii de Sânziene (Midsummer Nights). The exhibition that invites the visitor to walk with the fairies on a path animated by fragments from the life and universe of these fantastic creatures.
On the evening of June 21st, visitors were invited to celebrate the summer solstice with a concert by Corina Sîrghi & 7TH SENSE at the passage of the Gabroveni Inn ARCUB headquarters.
„Brides of the Sun” is composed of several key visuals: the floral arrangement entitled „Great Crown of the sun” from the entrance, the symbolic reconstruction of a traditional house in the first exhibition hall, the dance of the sprites rendered in traditional clothing elements from the second space and screening room where archival images appear and disappear like hallucinations.
In, the second room, which is the main exhibition hall, traditional clothing elements, shirts, and accessories are brought together, displayed in a gesture of symbolic embracing and dancing. We saw women’s formal and casual dress from the beginning of the 20th century on, in pure white, reflecting an image of the olden days of fairies out playing in the forest. Some costumes in full, mounted on mannequins, support a corporeal presence, as witnesses of the ancient brides from various areas of the country, in poses of the dolled-up brides wearing the ritual costume, in contrast to the simple, pure attire of the brides of the sun. Special attention is paid in the exhibition to the role of decoration, both through ephemeral floral elements, as well as through old ornaments, which have a magical and fertility role.
In the projection hall, visitors can see archival footage from the past of the Romanian villages, clothing elements and festive costumes. The projections are structured as short films, incorporating extracts from local folklore, all of which appears and disappears on the walls.
The textile pieces hail from the private collections of Iulia Gorneanu and Ana Maria Crişan. Normal tickets are 35 lei and discounted tickets are 25 lei.
