Mihai Gui was born in 1989, in Cluj-Napoca, Romania and graduated in 2016 with an MA from AKV St.Joost in Breda, The Netherlands. He is a recipient of the Mondriaan Fund for Young Talent stipend in 2017. Within his own artistic practice, he focuses on questioning the established value of art in contemporary society and ask “WHAT can art DO?” and “WHY must art DO?” With these questions in mind, Mihai likes to engage multiple lines of research on particular subjects through smaller projects, and then use the knowledge gained from these to periodically research into bigger, more encompassing endeavors. He is currently either working on a personal project, or on a commission, or learning how to do something new and exciting, or all of the above.
VR living in Wielewaal (test)
Based on the previous research around the use of VR as a tool for exploring and informing about the housing situation in Rotterdam, an initial test version of an ongoing project focused on the Wielewaal neighborhood was presented at ArsElectronica in Linz, Austria. The presentation included a short walkable experience in the Tweebosbuurt as well as an indoor reconstruction of a scan of a house in the Wielewaal, alongside a 3D interview with one of its inhabitants.
VR living in Roffa (test 2)
A three day residency and exhibition program supported by TimeWindow Rotterdam served as the backdrop for researching interior LiDAR scanning and reconstruction of homes in VR. The goal was to explore the interaction of people with distant or removed environments as well as the interplay between the physical and conceptual dimensions of a "home" in absentia.
VR living in Roffa (Test)
The project employed Virtual Reality to create an interactive archive places that were, sometimes literally, bulldozed over in the name of further developing the city of Rotterdam. In it I focused on one neighborhood - the Tweebosbuurt - reconstructed as it had been inhabited for decades at the same time as it was in the process of being completely demolished in real-life. Presented in VR alongside this was a guiding narration from one of its former inhabitants, Mustapha.
Solid Maybe
A collaboration with choreographer Marijke de Vos in which Mihai shot and produced a short film that was then projection-mapped on location next to a live dance performance. The piece ran over three weeks in both Rotterdam and Dordrecht.
Artist in residence
A short film shot for Teddy shouldn't smoke that was presented during the TimeWindow TestFest 2021. The focus was on creating and atmospheric one-taker that conveyed the feelings of anxiety and fear at the core of the dance piece.
Artist in residence
Four day residency for research and development of new work, with a presentation date on the 25th of April during the TimeWindow TestFest. The research focused on developing VR cityscapes based on real-life locations, and how to create a storyline that guides audiences through these.
Artist in residence - Solid Maybe
A two week residency for initial research and development for a new collaborative AV/Dance piece, premiering in October of 2021. The focus of this was combining dance and film, and specifically focusing on how techniques from film can guide choreography and yield novel ways of presenting a live performance next to a short film.
VR who we are
The Summer Sessions are short-term international art and technology residencies for emerging artists and designers. A network of cultural organizations all over the world sponsors and hosts the residencies. During this period I researched VR as a means of embedding audiences in real-life locations and with a focus on what type of storytelling can emerge.
Artist in residence
A 10-day artist in residence hosted by Amsterdam Fringe Festival at their main location.
I hate you all welcome/CATastrophical
Part of the Prospects&Concepts group exhibition organized by the Mondriaan Fund during Art Rotterdam 2019. The project is an extended research based on the graduation project with the same name focusing on language and it's building of identity.
Hubbub le Scope
Group exhibition Hubbub le Scope at Fondazione Borderline in Palermo, Italy.
Selected photographer De Kracht van Rotterdam
Selected for taking part in De Kracht van Rotterdam photo competition 2018.
GIFs (Grotesque Interchangeable Figureheads)
Group exhibition during ElektroArts festival 2018.
GIFs (Grotesque Interchangeable Figureheads)
Group exhibition Hubbub le Scope at Wolfart Projectspace Rotterdam.
I hate you all welcome
Graduation show of MA Photography department of AKV St. Jost, Breda.
Re-Action in F(ilm)
A research lab organized by AKV St. Joost in Collaboration with EYE Amsterdam, with public screenings of the results.
MAPH on tour
Residency organized by Club SOLO at Hotel SOLO in Breda in 2015.
In timp ce dispare gloria lumii
Group exhibition organized by Platforma Space
Leapsa pe jumatate terminata / Tag half played-out
Group exhibition organized and hosted by Atelier 35, Bucharest.