Tintype presents Madalina Zaharia’s Kltz. Pmz. Aaaaaa!, an exhibition revolving around the peculiar relationship between sound and nonsense, between onomatopoeia and the realm of history.

Kltz. Pmz. Aaaaaa! is the phonetic representation of a popular onomatopoeic catchphrase from one of the first adverts to be aired on still pre-capitalist Romanian television in the early 90s. The ad became a national hit – both children and adults incessantly repeating it – even though today no one can quite remember what the commercial was for.

Madalina Zaharia’s work interlaces print, video, performance and sculptural installation. Stories and tales embedded in popular culture and how they are remembered, misremembered and exaggerated are often her starting point. She focuses on theatrical moments in time: memories and gestures that illuminate the effect of politics on everyday life.

About the artist:

Madalina Zaharia grew up in Romania and studied at the University of the Arts, Bucharest; Byam Shaw and the Royal College of Art, London, graduating in 2012. Recent shows include the Blue Plastic Bag project, a commission from A Million Minutes (supported by ACEngland, Islington Council & UAL); The Round Manual at Arch Collective; We were real pirates, a performance and live radio broadcast in collaboration with airstudio; Re-Read, An Assembly Project, Trinity Buoy Wharf; Pas Pas Chi Chi, a performance for the sea, Coastal Currents, Hastings; I Know a Friend That Knows a Friend, Het Poortgebouw, Rotterdam.

-Tintype Contemporary Art

Image: © Madalina Zaharia