Songs for a Better Future at the Western Front is the third chapter of an ongoing project where the artist Matei Bejenaru works with pre-exsisting choirs and a composer, to create a new piece which incorporates experimental voice work with the rhythm and lyrics of socialist worker songs. Performances of Songs for a Better Future have previously taken place in Bucharest, Romania in the frame of the Knot Collaboration Project (2010) and in London, UK for the conference and exhibition Best Laid Plans (2010) organized by the Drawing Room.
In Vancouver, Songs for a Better Future is composed by DB Boyko and performed by the Voice Over mind Choir. The performance is produced as part of the exhibition Vector Association at the Western Front (February 18 – April 16).
Based in Iasi, Romania, Vector is a not-for-profit association that acts as a platform for contemporary art. Since 1997 Vector has been producing the Periferic Biennial, publishing Vector Magazine, commissioning public projects, and hosting residencies. For the exhibition at Western Front, Vector Association highlights a range of its activities through the work of Iasi based artists: Matei Bejenaru (RO), Dan Acostioaei (RO) and Florin Bobu (RO), as well as their last artist in residence, Ayman Ramadan (EG).
Matei Bejenaru is an artist who lives and works in Iasi, Romania. He is the founding director of Vector Association and the initator of the Periferic Biennial. He paticipated as an artist at the Tirana Biennial, Albania (2003), his project Traveling Guide took the form an insert in IDEA Magazine, Cluj, Romania (2005), he participated in the group exhibition The Irresistable Force, Level 2 Gallery, Tate Modern, London (2007) and the Taipei Biennial, Taiwan (2008). Recently his film Battling Inertia was shown as part of Vector Association’s participation in Frieze Art Fair, London (2010) and he produced the second installement of his performance, Songs for a Better Future in the frame of the exhibition and conference Best Laid Plans at the Drawing Room and Tate Modern, London (2010).