Meron Gallery

The ‘Cargo Cult’ exhibition brings to the public a cultural phenomenon that, although unfamiliar, reflects our contemporary realities. The concept of "Cargo Cult" stems from encounters between indigenous cultures and colonial societies, where these cultures received gifts - material objects, understood as signs of a world from another reality. Those who received them not only understood those objects as a gift, but began to attach to them a profound significance, as a symbol of a future promise. Their rituals were based on a continuous search for "cargo" - gifts from a desired but impossible reality. For Flaviu Moldovan, ‘Cargo Cult’ is not just a story about distant cultures but a direct parallel to today’s world. In his vision, the cargo cult is a living phenomenon, manifesting itself in contemporary society through an almost unquestioning reverence for ideas or objects — artworks, mystical messages, or promises from unseen entities that claim to hold the power to reshape reality. In this context, the cargo is no longer just a material object but an illusion: the illusion of success, profound meaning, or an absolute truth offered as salvation. Through each of his works, Flaviu prompts a reevaluation of the unjustified veneration we assign to certain ideas or objects. In a system where anything — be it an object or a message — once validated by the "authority" of social or artistic context, becomes worthy of devotion, the cargo transforms into a symbol of collective illusion. Just as the original cargo cult was a reaction to gifts arriving from an unknown world, today, society venerates ideas, symbols, and objects placed within contexts validated by the market or art institutions. This phenomenon is not merely about what we believe but about how we allow ourselves to be influenced by what is presented to us as "value." In his works, Flaviu confronts the audience with fundamental questions about the nature of veneration: What happens when we accept without analyzing things that have only superficial value? How do we understand reality when the signs are actually illusions? The artist's vision extends beyond a critique of the art market or society—it is a message about the fragility of human convictions. ‘Cargo Cult’ speaks of that invisible force, of those misinterpreted signs that shape our perceptions and actions. In this act of devotion, the entire social system becomes vulnerable to illusion.