Vila Catena

Organised by Sandwich Gallery and curated by Alexandru Niculescu and Daniela Pălimariu, CATS ARE TAKING OVER is the first exhibition in the contemporary art pavilion of Villa Catena, marking a premiere for this space that aims to generate a warm formula for understanding art. The exhibition uses the cat - symbol of intimacy, mystery and irony - as a pretext. Cats Are Taking Over is an incursion into the world of charismatic domestic felines, often considered too trivial for ‘serious’ art, which thus reclaim their place in contemporary creation. From housemate to cultural symbol, from mystical symbol to simple everyday presence, who else would be better suited as the main character in an exhibition about the contrasts of the present moment? Through traditional techniques such as painting, ceramics, sculpture, or through conceptual works, audio, immersive installations and inflatable sculptures, the works brought together create a complex landscape of the present challenges, acting as a collective catalyst whose stimulus is, apparently, a simple pet. Its various stances are among the most varied: leader cat, fetish cat, totem cat, feminist cat, anatomy of the cat, cat as institutional critic, medicine cat, Dacian cat, sacred cat. The exhibition includes works created especially for this occasion as well as pieces from private collections. With this joint initiative, Sandwich and the Fildas Art Foundation, through the Catena for Art programme, open a new and invigorating dialogue between the public and contemporary art, highlighting an architectural monument and questioning, with humour and critical spirit, the way we relate to the exhibition space and to art in general.