MATCA artspace

Few more photos from 𝐉𝐎𝐘 𝐒𝐀𝐔𝐂𝐄 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐘, our previous solo show by William Ludwig Lutgens

“𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘺𝘢𝘸𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱.”

Like a suspended state of exhaustion, almost fuelled by a sleep paralysis-like condition, Joy Sauce in the Belly unfolds as a sequence of caricatural characters emerging like hallucinatory projections.
A mass of figures perform in various forms throughout the exhibition, oscillating between parody and psychological breakdown. Instinctively exploring humankind through anecdotes that slowly slip into darker territories of pleasure and suffering, William Ludwig Lutgens choreographs and performs his works at the same time, becoming both protagonist and source for his ongoing preoccupations with burnout, co-dependency, power relations, attachment and emotional exhaustion. Props and caricatural apparitions wearing wigs reveal their flesh like zombified carnations - decomposing, almost slipping out of their own skin.

The image of the worker, the exploiter and the exploited collapse into one another, all leading toward systems of control, subjugation and alienation. Through theatrical gestures, grotesque humor and dramatic excess, Lutgens constructs a sad parody of contemporary existence, where characters drift through choreographed situations suspended between thriving and collapse, desire and disgust, performance and spiritual fatigue.

The exhibition investigates a form of traumatic enjoyment rooted in repetition, pressure and the illusion that everything can be possessed, controlled or fulfilled. Beneath its satirical surface lies an existential wound: an incoherent mass that consumes, reshapes and recycles us while we continue performing through solitude, dependency and the fear of disintegration.

William Ludwig Lutgens (1991, Turnhout) works with painting, drawing, sculpture, performance, and film. In his multidisciplinary practice, he explores the human ego and the influence of media and societal systems within a performance-driven, late-neoliberal society. Playful, alter-ego-like characters often appear in his work, seemingly trapped within rigid social structures.The grotesque plays an important role in his work: a space where humor and horror, or attraction and repulsion, overlap. Through absurdity, satire, and estrangement, Lutgens offers social commentary on themes such as economic competition, artistic practice, labor, and authority, inviting audiences to reflect on the images, expectations, and structures that shape contemporary life.
Lives and works in Antwerp, Belgium.

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Photos by Mădălin Mărgăritescu .dox / .studio and Cezar Cîmpeanu

Part of „Aproape de Curba Morții”. Cultural project co-financed by the Administration of the National Cultural Fund. The project does not necessarily represent the position of the Administration of the National Cultural Fund. AFCN is not responsible for the content of the project or for how its results may be used. These are entirely the responsibility of the funding recipient.

Supported by the Flemish government / Met de steun van de Vlaamse Overheid

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Nog zes dagen om onze nieuwste solotentoonstelling JOY SAUCE IN THE BELLY van William Ludwig Lutgens te bezoeken open op afspraak tot 22.06
‘Je betrapt jezelf op gapen, maar dat betekent niet dat je kunt slapen.’

Als een zwevende toestand van uitputting, bijna aangedreven door een slaapverlamming-achtige toestand, ontvouwt Joy Sauce in the Belly zich als een reeks karikaturale personages die opduiken als hallucinatoire projecties. (...)

Vinerea viitoare ne vedem la vernisajul celei de-a treia expoziții din cadrul rezidenței FORWARD 2026! 🧩

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗴𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁?
Dan Beudean / Lucas Farah / Bianca Papuc / Iulia Pușcașu / Judas Ștefan
Vernisaj: 31.07, ora 19:00

31.07 - 10.06
expoziție curatoriată de Eva Luca și Tudor Costin

What remains when the market goes silent? @ MATCA artspace, Cluj-Napoca | Modernism What remains when the market goes silent? @ MATCA artspace, Cluj-NapocaPosted by Cosmin Nasui | Jul 24, 2026 | NEWS | 0 | What remains when the market goes silent?MATCA artspace Calea Turzii 21, 400193 Cluj-Napoca, RomâniaDan Beudean / Lucas Farah / Bianca Papuc / Iulia Pușcașu / Judas ȘtefanVer...

Sâmbăta asta de la ora 17:00 te invităm la un prim tur ghidat prin expoziția CONNECTIONS:FORWARD alături de Alexandra Mocan, artistă vizuală și co-fondatoare MATCA artspace, unde dezvoltă proiecte curatoriale dedicate scenei artistice tinere.

Ni se vor alătura curatorii de generație9 Gabriela Moldovan, Diana Molnos, George Nicolae și Andreea Samoilă.

Participarea este gratuită și deschisă publicului larg, în limita locurilor disponibile, prin înscriere accesând formularul din comentarii.

CONNECTIONS:FORWARD | Șapte proiecte curatoriale emergente la Rezidența9 are vernisaj vineri de la 19:00. Te așteptăm

Sâmbăta asta de la ora 17:00 te invităm la un prim tur ghidat prin expoziția CONNECTIONS:FORWARD alături de Alexandra Mocan, artistă vizuală și co-fondatoare MATCA artspace, unde dezvoltă proiecte curatoriale dedicate scenei artistice tinere. Ni se vor alătura curatorii de generație9 Gabriela Moldovan,
Diana Molnos, George Nicolae și Andreea Samoilă.

Participarea este gratuită și deschisă publicului larg, în limita locurilor disponibile, prin înscriere accesând formularul din comentarii.

CONNECTIONS:FORWARD | Șapte proiecte curatoriale emergente la Rezidența9 are vernisaj vineri de la 19:00. Te așteptăm.

Au mai rămas 8 zile în care vă puteți înscrie la apelul nostru dedicat curatorilor emergenți! 💛

Mai multe detalii în materialul publicat de Empower Artists

OPEN CALL | FORWARD: Rezidențe pentru curatori emergenți MATCA artspace lansează cea de-a doua ediție a rezidenței FORWARD cu un apel deschis dedicat curatorilor emergenți care locuiesc în Cluj.

Sharing some photos from Unda Obscura’s exhibition “Normalcy Protocol”

21–23.11.2025

Curated by George Nicolae13

Moving between illusion and control, human and machine, peace and war, proximity and distance, the exhibition unfolded without hierarchy — a space of duality and mutual dependency. Ruin gave rise to illusion, and illusion affirmed destruction.

Unda Obscura is a multidisciplinary digital art and new media collective creating immersive and interactive experiences through VR, AR, AI, sound design, animation, video mapping, and sensor-based systems. Their practice sits at the intersection of technology and art, exploring perception, digital memory, alienation, and experimental forms of expression.

Photos by Cezar Cîmpeanu


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Here is the second photo gallery from SHOW-OFF 7 (2/2)

SHOW-OFF 7
17.10 – 18.11.2025

More like a collective gathering than a curated exhibition — SHOW-OFF brings together artists whose practice we like and enjoy working with:

Sasha Bandi / Norbert Filep / Cătălina Nistor / Simon Sykora / Emanuel Pop / Mara Cucu / Codruț Zele / Alexandra Brînzac / Dan Beudean / Matei Toșa / Ioana Iacob / Risto Ilič / Cellino Tiziana / Vlad Olariu / Mădălin Mărgăritescu / Lucia Ghegu / Alina Buzea / Andriana Oborocean / Norbert Ștefan / Paul Bucovesan / Alexandru Muraru / Matei Țigăreanu / Barbora Ilič / Celina Cordoș / Alexandra Mocan / Sebastian Big / MuLu

Photos by

Here are some photos from SHOW-OFF 7 (1/2)
second part coming soon!

SHOW-OFF 7
17.10 – 18.11.2025

More like a collective gathering than a curated exhibition — SHOW-OFF brings together artists whose practice we like and enjoy working with:

Sasha Bandi / Norbert Filep / Cătălina Nistor / Simon Sykora / Emanuel Pop / Mara Cucu / Codruț Zele / Alexandra Brînzac / Dan Beudean / Matei Toșa / Ioana Iacob / Risto Ilič / Cellino Tiziana / Vlad Olariu / Mădălin Mărgăritescu / Lucia Ghegu / Alina Buzea / Andriana Oborocean / Norbert Ștefan / Paul Bucovesan / Alexandru Muraru / Matei Țigăreanu / Barbora Ilič / Celina Cordoș / Alexandra Mocan / Sebastian Big / MuLu

Photos by

Throwback to one of our recent shows, BROUGHT FROM BELOW

06.09 – 03.10.2025

Alexandra Brînzac / Luis Alexandru Drăjan / Sasha Bandi / Oana Pop / Andreea Grigoraș / Alexandra Constantinescu / Matei Țigăreanu / Imminent Detour / Adrian Rață / Emanuel Pop / Xianne Han & Cristian Roncea & Stol Collective / Louis Kareem Jamal / Ekaterina Shcherbakova / Alexandra Pop-Arad / Júlia Kusztos & Levente Borenich / Alexandru Muraru / Ernest Budeș / Alexandru Mihai Budeș / Alexandra Mocan

The exhibition is part of Primitive Logistics, a wider project that explores alternative technologies and the inherent capacities of our surroundings—even from before the very notion of “technology” existed. It brings together six outcomes of individual or collaborative practices, selected through a land art open call, alongside a body of ceramic works created during an extended workshop at MATCA in June. These ceramics were later fired in an experimental kiln, built entirely from scratch by MATCA in partnership with Slow Architecture Lab, the participating artists, and close collaborators, under the guidance of Alexandru Mihai Budeș.
The resulting exhibition reflects on practice, experiment, and collaboration in its many forms—from the organizational structures that brought us together, to the intimate exchanges with material, chemistry, temperature, land, and other elemental forces. It speaks more about interaction and process than about a predetermined outcome, allowing objects and interventions to carry their own stories while communicating through the same medium of expression—the ground itself, seen as a source of emergence, transformation, and continuity.

Photos by .studio / .dox

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Cultural project co-financed by the National Cultural Fund Administration (AFCN).
The project does not necessarily represent the position of the National Cultural Fund Administration. AFCN is not responsible for the content of the project or the way its results may be used. These are entirely the responsibility of the funding beneficiary.
Event organized with the support of the City Hall and Local Council of Cluj-Napoca