Apparently contradictory areas of interest, ecology and mode (not just in the strict sense of fashion, but in its broader sense, which may also lead to planned obsolescence) are two reference points that enhance each other in the artistic practice of Sergiu Chihaia, independently of the creative period he’s in. Each of his creative period lasts around five years. A decade ago, Sergiu Chihaia was making those arctic figures, the paper penguins, five years ago he started using mainly plastic in his conceptual installations (some of these projects were commissioned by major local brands) and now, with this solo show and other recent exhibitions, he is entering a new creative era, dedicated to wood. Acquisitive collector of wooden branches with high ecological aesthetic value, Sergiu Chihaia is especially interested in the shape of the limb and the way he can use it in his works. From the nut tree that grew in the courtyard of the National University of Arts in Bucharest, which he exhibited at Mogoșoaia during the pandemic, to the wood he brought from Mexico while he was part of a group show or the one that he found and polished during these summer holydays by the sea, Sergiu Chihaia has a close relationship with this material. Positioned at the intersection between Eco Art and Arte Povera, having in fact several other references and influences, the "ECESIS" installation addresses the same kind of message that celebrities such as David Attenborough or Sebastião Salgado try to get to the world, that of becoming aware of the ecological impact we have. Ecesis is the process by which a plant becomes established in a new habitat. – Ana Daniela Sultana

Sergiu Chihaia (b. 1982), graduated National University of Arts, currently is titular lecturer at the Fashion department, within the same institution. Lives and works in Bucharest. Participates with his work at national and international exhibitions (Bucharest, Constanta, London and Venice). Has artworks in private collections in England, Italy and Romania. In 2014 wins UAP prize for Decorative - Textile Arts at the 5th edition of ''Arts in Bucharest''. Sculptor, designer, textile artist and stage designer. As a scenographer his goal is to recreate the history of the mankind as a stage, an exhibition space for humanities dramas, joys and victories.

Ana Daniela Sultana is a curator and columnist, who graduated from the University of Applied Arts in Vienna. Her articles appear in ARTA magazine, Romanian-Italian Cultural Horizons and on agentiadecarte.ro. She collaborates with institutions such as creart – the Center for Creation, Art and Tradition of Bucharest, the International Cultural Centre in Krakow, the Romanian Cultural Institute in Istanbul, the Romanian Cultural Institute in Vienna, the Austrian Cultural Forum in Bucharest, the Museum of Bucharest, the Literature Museum in Bucharest, the Art Museum of Timișoara, Kunsthalle Feldbach, Aluniș Art Center and with various contemporary art galleries.

Photo credit: Mihai Theodor Sava