Born in 1961 in Sibiu, Romania, he lives and works in Bucharest and Sibiu. Perjovschi studied at the Art Academy of Iasi, Romania in the years 1980–1984. He is an artist and cartoonist whose practice revolves primarily around drawing, often accompanied with text in order to deliver a witty and poignant socio-political commentary. He has contributed to literary and political journals such as Contrapunct and 22 and has gained the greatest renown with his site-specific drawing works created directly on the walls of a wide range of museums and organisations worldwide. Honoured with the George Maciunas Prize in 2004 and with the Rosa Schapire Prize awarded by the Friends of Kunsthalle Hamburg in 2016. His work has been presented at solo exhibitions at Magasin CAC, Grenoble; Kiasma, Helsinki; MACRO, Rome; MoMA, New York; Kunsthalle Basel; Tate Modern, London; Ludwig Museum, Cologne. Perjovschi has participated in numerous group shows including the Jakarta Biennial (2015); Paris Triennial (2012); Sydney Biennial (2008); Venice Biennale (2007), and Istanbul Biennial (2005).
Perjovschi is today one of the most recognized Romanian artists in the world. He owes it definitely to the deceitfully light form of his art – satirical, ironic drawings, always executed as if in a hurry. His works resemble drawings by the well-known Polish author Slawomir Mrozek, but while Mrożek courted mostly condescending intelligence, Perjovschi is much more universal, funny, bitter, dark and sarcastic. He usually depicts hierarchic relations and injustices within society: nation and class-wise, political ones. He comments the latest political events as an engaged observer. His great success may overshadow how malicious and caustic his art can actually be. His drawings are reminiscent more of journalistic writing than of an aesthetic object. In Lublin he is going to paint a mural outside the gallery, in which he will look at the latest crises in Europe: of democracy in post-communist countries, hostility towards refugees and the poor, social unrest. Enchanting and funny as usual, this simple line seduces us into the abyss of quite serious questions, mostly left without answers.
Dan Perjovschi, Granica Drawing [GL], drawing, 2017, photo by Wojciech Pacewicz
Dan Perjovschi, Postcards to Białystok [GA], postcards, 2017, photo by Kacper Gorysz
