Daniel Djamo (b. 1987, lives and works in Bucharest) is a Romanian artist and film director interested in personal and group histories and tales. He combines film with video art, and installation with photography in order to evoke the past and to underline “the now”.

Djamo held a 3 month residency at the AIR program Vienna and had the opportunity of different presentations during his stay. Together with Carmen Bendovski, we curated his presentation at Concordia Platz and Schleifmühlgasse 12-14, and Bendovsky proposed a talk with Djamo and writer Varujan Vosganian at the Armenian Cultural Institute.

At Schleifmühlgasse 12-14, he showed 4 films – Storm Is Coming, Birds, Cleaning the Flag and One Euro Day – that were part of the installation he was presenting at Vienna Fair with Anca Poterasu Gallery from Bucharest. Titled Ruland, the project deals with Romanian immigrants in Germany. Djamo is a critical and political performing and moving image artist, who dissociates himself with an objective attitude, and is not afraid to cut through the topic. A self-neglected nomad, following the tracks of Romanian migrants through Europe, pointing out the alternative ways of living in the ‘golden West’. He encourages people to reflect on the positions of alien employees (in the best way) or mugger-like characters, who make their living from gambling, betraying, prostitution or stealing. He points out the double moral standards of our saturated Western society and the impossibility of a united Europe in the current situation.

It is worthy of noting that Kasper König, the director of Ludwig Collection Cologne, bought the whole installation for his museum. König is well-known for his brave and responsible collecting choices, and it is the author’s opinion that state institutions should take him as a model.

Never glue a bird to the ground…
Daniel Djamo
Presentation at Schleifmühlgasse 12-14 & Vienna Art Fair with Anca Poterașu Gallery