As a three-time freestyle wrestling champion (1989/91/93), Pavel Brăila knows that massage after a competition is essential for muscle recovery, reducing tension, and helping the body regain strength for the next challenge.
Built as a fictional radio show, RADIO MASSAGE is addressing the growing interest for the alternative medicine and its representation in today’s media. The piece is also inviting the auditors to question how radio translates the reality, how the senses are eluded from the broadcasts, and how the knowledge is given exclusively through speech.
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Pavel Brăila (born 1971 in Chișinău, Moldova) is one of the most internationally recognized artists of his generation and represents Moldova at the 2026 Venice Biennale. Working across film, video, installation, photography, and performance, his practice explores memory, borders, identity, and post-Soviet realities. He studied at the Jan van Eyck Academie in Maastricht and Le Fresnoy in France, and gained international recognition with his film Shoes for Europe at documenta11 in 2002. His work has since been presented at major exhibitions including documenta14, Manifesta 10, Tate Modern, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, and the Renaissance Society Chicago. Brăila lives and works in Chișinău and Berlin.
RADIO MASSAGE was composed during a radio fiction workshop directed by Benjamin Abitan and Ilinca Stihi, organized by Radio România and Grand Prix Nova, and supported by the French Institute. The participation of Pavel Brăila was supported by a SEMI SILENT grant.
SEMI SILENT welcomes the piece in its SONIC SPORTS album.
Idea and script by Pavel Brăila
Radio host: Elena Diaconu
Additional mixing and mastering: Mihai Balabaș
The author extends his thanks to Marin Cazacu, Tom Brânduș, and the entire workshop team.
Illustration: Eleni Dafini Bacula
English translation (with Deepl)
Radio host: Dear listeners, welcome to a new episode of the show “Health for All.” Today’s guest is the osteopathic physician Serafim Nicolae. He invites us to an unconventional session on restoring micro-mobility. Let’s listen to him.
Osteopathic physician: First, we’ll knead the back, smooth it out a bit, and then we’ll give the skin a light tap to stimulate blood flow….
And now I’ll work on the muscles a bit for some stretching.
Good, perfect, and tuck your chin into your chest, gently, relaxed, good, good… Stay healthy!
Radio host: Dear listeners, we remind you that osteopathic physician Serafim Nicolae was with us in the studio. We invite you to stay tuned. We’ll be back next week.
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