“Lights and Shadows” Temporary Exhibition

Authors’ Comment

The temporary exhibition at Cotroceni Palace is dedicated to the two personalities of Ferdinand and Maria, presented as individuals with distinct traits and personal passions beyond their official roles. Their shared passion for plants and flowers becomes the key to interpreting the entire exhibition design concept, in which the Queen’s artistic sensitivity intertwines with the King’s scientific rigor, creating a dialogue between emotion and reason. A secondary narrative thus unfolds throughout the curatorial journey, expressed through colour and through the marking of each section with a historically representative glass flower. Furthermore, the recreation of a small part of the current garden at Cotroceni Palace connects this entire history to the present.
At a formal level, the composition features open volumes associated with the brighter periods of their lives and enclosed volumes associated with their darker, more difficult periods. Apart from the two portraits that introduce the exhibition, images are absent from the panels; instead, relevant archival photographs are presented as slides on slide projectors, allowing visitors to engage with them closely and directly. Temporary exhibition solutions are employed, using small-scale furniture and panels made of lightweight materials, while the visitor route incorporates a flower planter from the palace garden, continuously enriched with seasonal plants.