Though cured of his lung disease, the artist had breathing problems whenever the Baia Mare chemical plant exhausts poisoned gases in the air.
Besides the various constatative articles published by researches of the phenomenon of environmental pollution with chemical exhausts and mining residues, Olos was the first artist to protest in his articles published in the local paper.
Nevertheless, his 1979 happening in Baia Mare he entitled "Against pollution", consisted in his sweeping the wheat grains which carried to or from a neighboring mill had fallen from a truck earlier in the morning and scattered on the carriage way in the street facing his studio.
The artist told to a journalist the story of how it happened: a pigeon with a grain in its beak attracted his attention to the criminal waste of the precious wheat, associated in peasants' mind in with gold, as a solar symbol.

The artist's longer stay in Germany, his contact with artists and especially his meeting Joseph Beuys had been a great gain for Mihai Olos not only as an artist but also as a human being, getting an insight into western human relations, learning about democracy and, last but not least, about the opportunities western artists enjoyed for their developing their art.
Still, he could not decide to deflect, though after the scandal produced by the head of the Romanian secret service, Mihai Pacepa's deflection, it became clear that things in the country were going to deteriorate and it would be more difficult to leave the country from then on.

Ceuşescu's re-election as president of the "socialist republic", and his picture holding the scepter being reproduced on the first page of the Artists Union's review Arta (3/1980), seemed to put an end to any hope for change.
The artist and his family, with the three children growing, had material difficulties and the artist himself had to look again for a job.
This was when, being sure that the painting would be bought, he made the faux pas to paint the presidential couple in the context of his universal city putting in the dictator's hand his version of the scepter.
Moreover, he had the bad inspiration to publish the painting's photo in a folklore almanac – Calendarul Maramureşului – he edited together with his friends Dumitru Iuga and Nicoară Timiș.
Though viewed by some of the artist's nowadays critics as a concession to the regime, the consequences had been actually the reverse than expected.
Another faux pas viewed in retrospect, was his relationship with poet Adrian Păunescu and the artist's acceptance to sing in one of the Flacăra shows organized by the poet.
In 1982 he was awarded the Flacăra prize by the magazine patronized by the poet who, as seen after the change in 1989, was brandished as one of the dictator's main flatterers.

With his travels abroad Mihai Olos was under the securitate's surveillance since his travel to Italy .Olos' art intervention journey with the scepter statue must have been also watched and commented upon in the informers' reports.
The relationship between the artist's journey and the painting in which the artist had dared to put his own statue in the president's hand could have been interpreted both ways: either as a flattery or as an insolence.
It was a period when many intellectuals had become informers and consequently the younger generation agents were chosen and trained so as to understand the language of the artists they were watching.
Some of these were first served in bookshops with books and albums common people had few chances to lay hands on.
So one can expect that some of these had the pretense to be literary and art critics as well.
And what a chance for them to discover subtleties and suggest interpretations they considered valid.
In their case there was also the feeling of the power to aid or destroy an artist's career which must have played an important part in their reports, sometimes as a compensation of their own frustration to play a part behind the stages.
And one may suppose that Mihai Olos' lack of discretion in showing off with his successes must have offende
Though cured of his lung disease, the artist had breathing problems whenever the Baia Mare chemical plant exhausts poisoned gases in the air. Besides the various constatative articles published by researches of the phenomenon of environmental pollution with chemical exhausts and mining residues, Olos was the first artist to protest in his articles published in the local paper. Nevertheless, his 1979 happening in Baia Mare he entitled "Against pollution", consisted in his sweeping the wheat grains which carried to or from a neighboring mill had fallen from a truck earlier in the morning and scattered on the carriage way in the street facing his studio. The artist told to a journalist the story of how it happened: a pigeon with a grain in its beak attracted his attention to the criminal waste of the precious wheat, associated in peasants' mind in with gold, as a solar symbol.
The artist's longer stay in Germany, his contact with artists and especially his meeting Joseph Beuys had been a great gain for Mihai Olos not only as an artist but also as a human being, getting an insight into western human relations, learning about democracy and, last but not least, about the opportunities western artists enjoyed for their developing their art. Still, he could not decide to deflect, though after the scandal produced by the head of the Romanian secret service, Mihai Pacepa's deflection, it became clear that things in the country were going to deteriorate and it would be more difficult to leave the country from then on.
Ceuşescu's re-election as president of the "socialist republic", and his picture holding the scepter being reproduced on the first page of the Artists Union's review Arta (3/1980), seemed to put an end to any hope for change. The artist and his family, with the three children growing, had material difficulties and the artist himself had to look again for a job. This was when, being sure that the painting would be bought, he made the faux pas to paint the presidential couple in the context of his universal city putting in the dictator's hand his version of the scepter. Moreover, he had the bad inspiration to publish the painting's photo in a folklore almanac – Calendarul Maramureşului – he edited together with his friends Dumitru Iuga and Nicoară Timiș. Though viewed by some of the artist's nowadays critics as a concession to the regime, the consequences had been actually the reverse than expected. Another faux pas viewed in retrospect, was his relationship with poet Adrian Păunescu and the artist's acceptance to sing in one of the Flacăra shows organized by the poet. In 1982 he was awarded the Flacăra prize by the magazine patronized by the poet who, as seen after the change in 1989, was brandished as one of the dictator's main flatterers.
With his travels abroad Mihai Olos was under the securitate's surveillance since his travel to Italy .Olos' art intervention journey with the scepter statue must have been also watched and commented upon in the informers' reports. The relationship between the artist's journey and the painting in which the artist had dared to put his own statue in the president's hand could have been interpreted both ways: either as a flattery or as an insolence. It was a period when many intellectuals had become informers and consequently the younger generation agents were chosen and trained so as to understand the language of the artists they were watching. Some of these were first served in bookshops with books and albums common people had few chances to lay hands on. So one can expect that some of these had the pretense to be literary and art critics as well. And what a chance for them to discover subtleties and suggest interpretations they considered valid. In their case there was also the feeling of the power to aid or destroy an artist's career which must have played an important part in their reports, sometimes as a compensation of their own frustration to play a part behind the stages. And one may suppose that Mihai Olos' lack of discretion in showing off with his successes must have offende
Mihai Olos