'The Earth as territory can alter its identity with each passing century (or even more frequently), reshaping its borders, names, and forms of societal organization, among other aspects. Foucault considers that ‘it is highly probable that every human group, regardless of its nature, carves out within the space it occupies, in which it genuinely lives and works, certain utopian places […]’ In our country, an ancient custom (dating back to the time of the Dacians, as local inhabitants themselves assert) is preserved in some areas — the ‘pițărit’ ritual on Christmas Eve. Mircea Modreanu thematizes this local tradition in his current solo exhibition at CREART Gallery through the lens of his connection and belonging to the community of ‘momârlani’ in Petroșani, the city where he was raised and where he participated in this custom as a child. The exhibition titled ‘Masks of Pițărăi’ follows a previous self-referential project of his, the solo exhibition at MNTRplusC called ‘About Oneself, Crosses, and Others’, a sculptural installation inspired by the momârlan crosses of the Jiu Valley. Floral symbols and other traditional Romanian motifs that appear on the Romanian Blouse for example or on artisanal ceramics are brought into contemporary relevance by Mircea Modreanu on the black-and-white masks of pițărăi, crafted after the facial features of his acquaintances. The visual and anthropological research the artist provides thus invites us to reflect on those utopian places mentioned by Foucault, highlighting individual and collective identities that emerge during winter holidays.' - Ana Daniela Sultana

Mircea Modreanu is a visual artist, cultural project manager, and gallery owner. He pursued his studies at the Faculty of Fine Arts and Design in Cluj and, shortly after completing his bachelor's degree, redirected his path towards Bucharest. In 2014, he attained a master’s degree from the graphic department of UNArte, and a year later, he established an NGO, marking his debut as cultural manager. Since the opening of E T A J artist-run space in 2018, he has curated exhibitions at the venue located at 43 George Enescu Street in Bucharest, hosting over 200 shows to date. During the lockdown, as a means of documentation and archiving, he began filming interviews with artists, which he uploaded to the ETAJ TV YouTube channel; he also serves as the coordinator for the E T A J magazine, a publication launched with the intent of promoting contemporary art and local artists. Since 2021, he has represented the Romanian artist-run scene internationally, participating in art fairs for independent initiatives in Aarhus, Stockholm, Budapest, Madrid, Milan, Los Angeles, and Mexico City.

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: Răzvan Năstase