On the evening of December 8th, the Out of Nowhere exhibition series, a collaboration between Black Rhino Radio and Glo Romania, will once again come alive. This art-focused event, marking its 6th edition, will present the nightlife-inspired artworks of Valeriu Cătălineanu.
Valeriu weaves a visual narrative transcending time in the heart of Bucharest's intimate yet respected nightlife spectrum. As the founder of Romanian Club Culture, he has been a pivotal figure in encapsulating over 3000 electronic music events in dynamic photo and video formats. Eventually embracing mixed media, particularly drawing and painting, he would embark on creating "ClubScapes" - an artistic endeavor to deconstruct clubbing imagery, distilling it to its core elements of form, light, and shadow. It's an exploration aimed at discovering archetypical forms and offering a distinctive viewpoint on our shared nightlife moments' primal yet profound nature.
Photographing the night
Valeriu's journey into visual arts began in his late teens, where his early interests in photography and drawing were initiated. He recalls, "At 19, I got my first camera to capture subjects for my drawings, but soon I shifted entirely to photography, especially human subjects.” This period marked the onset of an impulsive exploration, a young artist's quest to capture the world through his lens. Four years later, his enrollment in art school would become his first transformative experience. He reflects: "I moved from classic, centered around aesthetically pleasing images, to a conceptual style."
With this in mind, the dynamic world of club culture first caught Valeriu’s attention while documenting Bucharest's underground punk and metal scenes. This vibrant and unrefined milieu, teeming with raw emotion and energy eventually landing him on the dancefloor. "My foray into electronic events happened by chance," he explains. "A friend working for Nights, the premier clubbing magazine then (2005), enlisted me to photograph an interview with the legendary Derrick May." This scene transition was more than a change in subjects; it was a deep dive into a world where Valeriu would eventually notice the present vibrating with the rhythms of the past.
Under his supervision over the past 19 years, Romanian Club Culture has redefined the visual narrative of the local electronic scene on a global stage. "My mission was to elevate the imagery so that anyone in the world would recognize the Romanian parties' blueprint," he states, continuing, "When I started, the scene suffered from a low-quality visual representation." This ambition transcended the boundaries of photography; it was about crafting a visual lexicon of modern clubbing with the legacy of communal gatherings.
A gradual shift
But how do you achieve this through photography, especially in a saturated visual-based market? Valeriu's insights into compelling nightlife photography reveal a metaphysical understanding of the art form. "To establish an identity and a signature, to innovate, and to search for a deeper meaning beyond the comfort and appealing facade of the professional camera is crucial," he asserts. He continues, "Understanding the anatomy of an event means not adhering to set formulas and stepping out of the safe zone. This transition transforms photographers into artists". "However, clubbing photography often relies on easily digestible imagery, not on images that require multiple interpretations. When you make this shift, your audience will disappear; a risk 99% of photographers are not willing to take," he highlights.
After so many years of nightlife photography, a loop set in, and Valeriu now sought to explore visual artistry beyond the camera lens, “Everything was crisp, perfect colors, perfect everything. I wanted to see another side of the clubbing imagery spectrum. I always felt there was an unexplored part of it," he explains on a gradual shift into alternative forms of visual representation.
Valeriu also articulates a deep fascination with how photography’s inherent constraints contrast with the more fluid and expressive nature of drawing and painting. "Photography and its precision, often disregard the depth and complexity found in the imperfections and flaws of a drawing," he explains. This understanding lead him to an artistic synthesis, where photography is not the endpoint but the genesis of a deeper exploration: "It allows me to dissect and stare at an image for hours, days, or weeks, enabling me to reach a deeper experience of that captured moment." The shift from photography to drawings and paintings also responded to his desire to delve deeper into the ancient-modern nexus.
The timelessness of ritual
The "ClubScapes" series is particularly emblematic of this artistic urge. On its origins, Valeriu draws a compelling parallel between the ancient and the contemporary, observing that "caves were the first clubs of humanity." In his work, Valeriu seeks to encapsulate those universal moments of connection, stating, "I'm searching for those frequencies people experience in clubs, during particular moments that can't be described in words." His resulting art, therefore, is an endeavor to transcend the spoken language, aiming instead for a "silent/visual recognition of those feelings."
In his use of preferred mediums, charcoal, and graphite, Valeriu finds a connection to the elemental act of recording human existence. He notes the historical significance of these materials: "Charcoal served as an external recording tool during prehistoric times, allowing for the preservation and transmission of important cultural knowledge and experiences." He continues, "It [charcoal] allows me to quickly render ideas and impressions with a high level of abstraction." On graphite, he describes it as a medium for atmospheric exploration. Though a process requiring much time, it is a challenge that can be pushed to the limit. “I blur the iconic to achieve a 'familiar' ambiguity. It also enables me to create a subtle communication bridge with photography,” he explains.
As he now prepares for the "ClubScapes" exhibition, the anticipation for a dynamic interaction between art and the audience is palpable. "The series has been hidden from the public for five years, and a pressure has built up. It's time for them to emerge into the world, to start a life of their own and face the crowds," he anticipates. "The works in this series are not conclusions but a set of open doors.”
Revealing the unseen
Through his exploration and reinterpretation of club culture and ancient rituals, Valeriu Cătălineanu invites viewers into a space where art becomes a medium for experiencing and reflecting on our shared human history. As much as it is a visual feat, his work is also a journey into the depths of collective memory and emotion, a quest to uncover the latent narratives that bind us across time and space. "If a photograph is 1000 words, a drawing/painting is 1000 moments layered on top of each other," he muses, encapsulating the essence of his artistic pursuit – to reveal the unseen and unspoken, to touch the intangible, and to connect the dots between the primal past and the pulsating present.
