IOSIF KIRÁLY (b. 1957) is a Romanian visual artist, architect, and educator. He works both independently and within the subREAL group. Favourite media: photography, installation, performance, and drawing. His work investigates the relationship between perception, time, and memory. In 1995, he was among the founders of the Department of Photography and Media Arts at the National University of Arts (UNArte) in Bucharest, where he is presently a professor. Király has an extensive international exhibition record, and his works are found in numerous private and public collections.

Since 2013 he has also been teaching in the Master of Visual
Studies programme at the National School of Political Science and
Public Administration (SNSPA) in Bucharest.
He has initiated, coordinated, and, together with architects,
visual artists, and anthropologists, participated in research
projects related to the changes having occurred in post-communist
Romania: D-Platform, RO-Archive, Triaj, Tinseltown, etc.

Király has held lectures, seminars, creative workshops, and artist
introductions at universities, museums, and art centres, including:

Regensburg University, Department of South-Eastern European
Studies, Germany (2016); New York University, Department of
Comparative Literature, New York, USA (2015); Castrum Peregrini,
Amsterdam, Netherlands (2013); School of Slavonic and East
European Studies, University College London, London, UK (2011);
Tehran University, Iran (2008); FRI SE Künstlerhaus, Hamburg, Germany
(2008); Ion Mincu University of Architecture and Urbanism,
Bucharest, Romania (2004–2008); West University, Faculty of Fine
Arts, Timişoara, Romania (2007); University of Bucharest, master’s
programme “Image Science”, Romania (2003–2005); F+F School for
Art & Media Design, Zurich, Switzerland (2004); Mobile Akademie,
Berlin, Germany (2004); SKC Beograd, Serbia (2003); Art & Tech
Institute, Linz, Austria (1999); Merz Akademie, Stuttgart, Germany
(1998); School of Film and Photography, Gothenburg University,
Sweden (1997).

He has benefited from research scholarships and artist residencies
(selection):

Castrum Peregrini, Amsterdam, Netherlands (2013), 18th Street Arts
Center, Santa Monica, California, USA (2012); AIR , Artist-in-Residence,
Krems, Austria (2012); New Europe College, Getty Fellowship,
Bucharest, Romania (2009–2013); 2004–2005); Třebešice
Castle, Čáslav, Czech Republic (2006); BIN Z39 Foundation, Zurich,
Switzerland (2004); IA SPIS, Stockholm, Sweden (2002); Light Work,
Syracuse, New York, USA (2001); Nordic Institute for Contemporary
Art, Helsinki, Finland (2000); Schloss Plüschow, Germany (1999);
KulturKontakt, Vienna, Austria (1999); Akademie Schloss Solitude,
Stuttgart, Germany (1997–1998); Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin,
Germany (1995–1996).

In the 1980s, he became active in the mail art network, an international
underground movement established by Fluxus. After 1989, he
exhibited solo and/or within the subREA L group (selection):

Australian Centre for Photography, Sydney (2015); National
Museum of Contemporary Art (MNAC), Bucharest, Romania (2015,
2014, 2012, 2010, 2004); Museum of Photography, Thessaloniki,
Greece (2014); Museo d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Trento
e Rovereto (MART ), Italy (2014); Museum für Fotografie, Braunschweig,
Germany (2013); Camera Austria, Graz (2012, 2010); The
3rd Prague Biennale, Czech Republic (2007); Technisches Museum,
Vienna, Austria (2005); Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Lisbon,
Portugal (2005); Essl Museum, Vienna, Austria (2003); Kunsthalle
Fridericianum, Kassel, Germany (2003); Kunstnernes Hus, Oslo,
Norway (2002); Neue Galerie am Landesmuseum Joanneum, Graz,
Austria (2002, 1997); Fotogalerie Wien, Vienna, Austria (2001); VOX –
Centre de l’image contemporaine, Montreal, Canada (2001); Galerie
nationale du Jeu de Paume, Paris, France, and Hamburger Bahnhof
– Museum für Gegenwart, Berlin, Germany (2000); Moderna
Museet, Stockholm, Sweden (1999); Venice Biennale, Italy (1999,
1997, 1993); Berlin Biennale, Germany (1998); Ludwig Forum für
Internationale Kunst, Aachen, Germany (1997); SITE Santa Fe, New
Mexico, USA (1997); Manifesta 1, Kunsthal Rotterdam, Netherlands
(1996); Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, Illinois, USA (1995);
São Paulo Biennale, Brazil (1994); Istanbul Biennial, Turkey (1992);
2. Internationale Foto-Triennale, Esslingen, Germany (1992).

Works by Iosif Király and/or subREA L are housed in various private
and public art collections:

MNA C, Bucharest, Romania; 2000+ Arteast Collection, Moderna
galerija, Ljubljana, Slovenia; Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam,
Netherlands; Light Work, Syracuse, New York, USA; Hamburger
Bahnhof – Museum für Gegenwart, Berlin, Germany; Neue Galerie
am Landesmuseum Joanneum, Graz, Austria; European Central
Bank, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Imago Mundi – The Benetton
Art Collection and Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Modena, Italy;
Castrum Peregrini, Amsterdam, Netherlands; Ars Aevi, Sarajevo,
Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Selected references related to the artist’s and/or subREA L group’s
oeuvres:

Doina Talmann (ed.), Iosif Kiraly (Dortmund: Verlag Kettler, 2017)
Magda Radu (ed.), subREAL (Nuremberg: Verlag fur Moderne
Kunst, 2015).
Anthony Gardner, Politically Unbecoming: Postsocialist Art against
Democracy (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2015), pp. 269–272.
Terry Smith, Contemporary Art: World Currents (London: Laurence
King Publ. Ltd., 2011), pp. 110–111.
Deutsche Welle TV, Palace Revolution in Ceausescu’s Palace: Using Art to
Banish the Shadow of the Securitate, series “Kultur 21”, a documentary
on Iosif Király, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMVgTQOivNQ.
Ileana Pintilie, “Iosif Király”, in Hans D. Christ and Iris Dressler
(eds), Subversive Practices: Art under Conditions of Political Repression:
60s–80s /
South America / Europe // Kunst unter Bedingungen politischer
Repression: 60er–80er / Südamerika / Europa (Berlin: Hatje Cantz
Verlag, 2010),
pp. 191, 196–197, 231–235.
Filippo Maggia, Contemporary Photography from Eastern Europe: History,
Memory, Identity (Milano: Skira Editore, 2009), pp. 102–107.
Jorg Colberg, “Iosif Király – Reconstructions”, 1000 Words Photography,
2 (Fall 2008), http://www.1000wordsmag.com.
Martin Jaeggi, “Iosif Király”, in Uta Grosenick and Thomas Seelig
(eds), Photo Art: The New World of Photography (London: Thames &
Hudson Publ., 2008), pp. 226–229.
Rolf Sachsse, “Iosif Király: Tinseltown Buzescu”, Camera Austria
International, 102 (2008), pp. 25–36.
Thomas Raab, “Wir sind Content Provider”, springerin, VI/1 (2000),
pp. 53–55.
Oliver Marchart, “Der Kunst Dienen”, EIKON, Internationale Zeitschrift
für Photographie & Medien, 1 (2000), pp. 18–25.
Ruxandra Balaci, “Iosif Király, visions intimes”, artpress, 241
(décembre 1998), pp. 42–45.

Király is a member of the Romanian Artists’ Union (UAP) and of
the International Association of Art Critics (AICA).