Lina Țărmure: You describe Florin Mitroi as a discreet artist who had only one exhibition during his lifetime. His work remained unknown, discovered by both the general public and specialists through the exhibitions you organized, both in Romania and especially in Germany. What is the story of his exposure in Germany?
Erwin Kessler: In Germany I have shown Mitroi several times since 2012, in solo exhibitions at the Johnen and Schipper galleries, as well as at fairs such as Frieze and Art Basel. Although I always contextualized him historically within the local scene, I presented him as one of the few Romanian artists whose purely aesthetic and moral qualities — perceptible directly upon contact with the work — project him into universality. As a result of these exhibitions, Florin Mitroi is now collected throughout the world, from the United States, Germany, Mexico, and Canada to Taiwan and South Korea.
Lina Țărmure: Mitroi's discretion and his current visibility create a tension that prompts me to ask: how does one negotiate the ethical responsibility toward an artist's memory with the need to make his work accessible to the public and to the market?
Erwin Kessler: Mitroi was an extremely discreet man who left an extremely indiscreet body of work. He valued and carefully preserved his work. He hid it, but he did not destroy it. Most likely he was convinced that after his death it would be recovered, discovered, understood. If he kept it, it means he wanted that indiscretion to stand as his testimony about life. My greatest responsibility is toward the public, which must not be deprived of the revelation of a major body of work — one that can change lives, meanings, and visions. (...)
