Exhibition Category: Past Exhibitions

Between September 19^th and October 6^th, 2024, CREART – The Centre for Creation, Art and Tradition of Bucharest Municipality is partner of the 11^th BUCHAREST BIENNALE – Bucharest International Biennial for Contemporary Art taking place in several venues in Bucharest.

Creart Gallery (Lahovari sq. 7) is among these exhibition spaces.

“By implementing a distinctive, raw democratic selection process, “Democracy’s Uncharted Territories” departs from conventional curatorial practices. Inspired by the intricacies of Romanian democracy, the project explores the conflicts between public participation and the constraints of representative systems. The basis of the curatorial approach is the concept of participatory democracy, which emphasises the involvement of citizens in decision-making processes (Smith, 2009). This framework challenges the traditional role of the curator as the sole arbiter of artistic merit, promoting a more inclusive and collaborative environment. However, it acknowledges the limitations of direct democracy, where every citizen has an equal say in every decision. At the same time, it examines the use of the concept by Romanian cultural actors when and where there is a direct interest, revealing the potential shortcomings of pure participation.” Daniel Roșca, BB11 Director

Featured artists: Timothy Joseph Anderson (US), Andrei Argeșeanu (RO), Raul Bratu (RO), Ezgi Böttger (TR/DE), Baran Caginli (TR/FL), Mircea Ciutu (RO/DE), Regina Costa (PT), Iknur Demirkoparan (TR/US), Alessandro Di Massimo (IT), Gritsku Evghenia (UKR/RO/PL), Cristina Negrariu (RO), Kevin Pawlak (DE), Adrian Piorescu (RO), Oana Popa (RO/CH), Silvia Sarsano (IT), Andrei Tudoran (RO), Alexandra Tudosia (RO/DE), Vangjush Vellahu (AL/DE).

Photos by Răzvan Năstase

The symbol of the heart appears recurrently in the artistic practice of Otto Constantin both in his paintings and in his installations. It is depicted directly, as the heart of the city or as slot machine icon, but also indirectly, for example by choosing the couple as the subject in some of his works. Either way, regardless if there are couples, hearts or cities, there is always a Balkan touch to his works. Essentially, this selection is made of pieces from his long-term project Liberté, égalité, anxiété, that was on view last year in Cluj, and pieces from his latest series titled Emotional Pollution, which is somehow related to this long-term project, but can function independently. Otto Constantin works mainly conceptually thus titles are of great importance to him as they often constitute the starting point in his artistic production. This is also the case of Emotional Pollution – the series and the exhibition. Through this solo show we get the opportunity to discover the style of Otto Constantin (for those who are unfamiliar with the artist) or to see his latest works (for those who already know his artistic journey). – Ana Daniela Sultana

The heart is a symbol of life and emotions. In our attempt to warm up and create a comfortable space or even heal, we can contaminate those around us with our moods and actions. I believe we are responsible for the feelings that we show on the outside. The series Emotional Pollution is about this kind of awareness, about our responsibility towards the way we affect others through our state of being. – Otto Constantin

Otto Constantin (b. 1990) is originally from Constanța. In 2009 he graduated from Queen Mary National Highschool from Constanța and in 2012 from The National University of Art from Bucharest, Painting Department. He exhibited in group and solo shows held at Accademia di Romania a Roma, The National Museum of Contemporary Art from Bucharest, The Romanian Cultural Institute in Lisbon, Via Pontica Festival in Balcic, Street Delivery Bucharest and Street Art International Festival from Sibiu. His most recent exhibitions are a solo show held at La Cave Gallery from the Franch Institute in Cluj (2023) and a group show held at the Gallery from The Atatürk Cultural Center in Istanbul (2023).

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.

Part of RDW Design GO! within Romanian Design Week 2024

The solo show “Chimeșa. The Old Blouse” brings together fashion, textile installation, and cultural heritage in a concept proposed by Dorin Negrău, a remarkable internationally renowned Romanian designer, a constant presence at New York Fashion Week, and founder of The Traditional Center for Connection to the Simple Life, an artistic residency programme promoting traditional crafts in the north of the country. Literally and figuratively, the exhibition follows a red thread telling the story of the Romanian Blouse – often known simply as “chimeșă” or “spăcel” – from a perspective reuniting tradition and innovation, contemporary art and the mastery of old craftsmen, applied arts and visual arts, past and present. (Ana Daniela Sultana)

Dorin Negrău is a Romanian designer regularly invited to top fashion events in New York, Paris, Moskow, Düsseldorf, and Saudi Arabia. Besides his contribution to the world of fashion, Dorin Negrău is also active in the world of beauty, launching the line of products called CLONA. After the “Visions” fashion show, which took place on a building site in the Old Town, on Lipscani street, Dorin Negrău, launched the spring-summer collection called “LOST”, in 2013, at the National Library in Bucharest. The collection was inspired by the traditional costume from Crișul Negru, Bihor County, made by his grandmother 50 years ago, a piece which always represented for him the feminine beauty ideal. In 2023, Dorin Negrău initiated a valuable travel exhibition titled “From Bihor to New York”, presenting his works together with costumes from the collection of the Museum of Criș Country.

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.

“Ever more refined and conceptual, the artistic practice of Eugen Raportoru, who oscillates with versatility between painting and installation, surprises this time through minimalism and monochrome, without, however, leaving even the smallest detail outside of a true metaphorical structure. The opening of his solo show takes place on a Friday, the exhibition period is between the Catholic and Orthodox Easters, and the selection of works consists only of three large paintings, each representing a cross. While his famous previous installations ‘Childhood Room’ (MNAC), ‘On the road’ (ICR London) or ‘The Abduction from the Seraglio’ (Venice Biennale) abound in clichés and component elements, in ‘Resurrection’ Eugen Raportoru comes with an exuberant simplicity, austere and overwhelming to convey an artistic message similar to a paschal blessing. Of course, the interpretations can vary if we think for example about one’s own cross (with the meaning of destiny) that everyone carries, even Eugen Raportoru. An exhibition/installation in which the characteristic colors, with abundant variations of gray – already a signature for the artist – together with subtle elements, such as frankincense scent, stand for a complex internationally recognized artistic personality. ‘Resurrection’ is, thus, both a stylistic formula destined for the visual exploration of the mystery of the Cross, as well as a kind of artistic therapy liberating us from all the greyness of the day.” Ana Daniela Sultana

Eugen Raportoru (b. 1961, Bucharest) is a Romanian artist decorated by the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, with the Order of Cultural Merit, Knight rank, C category – Visual Arts. He graduated from the National University of Arts in Bucharest, Painting Department (with a BA in 2009 and a MA in 2011). Since 2010 he is a member of the Fine Arts Union (UAP) from which he received multiple awards. His work has been exhibited in various solo and group shows, but also in biennials, salons, and art fairs both locally and internationally. His artistic practice focuses mainly on two directions: painting and installation. In 2020, his installation titled “Childhood Room” was purchased by The National Museum of Contemporary Art of Romania. In 2022, his exhibition “The Abduction from the Seraglio”, commissioned by ERIAC, was a collateral event of the 59th edition of the Venice Art Biennial and the same year he also opened his exhibition titled „Gelem, Gelem, Samudaripen” about the deportation of Roma people. In 2023 he opened yet another memorable solo show, “Eugen Raportoru – Heritage” at the Marble Hall from The National Museum of Contemporary Art of Romania. Besides, he exhibited at The Romanian Cultural Institute in London, The Royal Academy of Arts in London, the Vatican, under the aegis of UNESCO, at The Ethnic Museum in Oslo and Stockholm, and in several museums all over the country (The Museum of Bucharest, The Literature Museum in Bucharest, The “Pavel Șușară” Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, The Brukenthal National Museum from Sibiu, The Bistrița-Năsăud Museum Complex, The Galați Museum of Fine Arts, The Art Museum in Constanța, The „Alexandru Ștefulescu” Museum of Gorj County, etc.), as well as in many galleries and art centers.

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.

”To become” and „to unlearn” are two verbs trying to substitute, in the posthumanism era, tense facets of gender identity, within a title inspired from “the benchmark of modern feminism”, “The Second Sex” by Simone de Beauvoir, published in 1949, by Gallimard. This starting point gives us the perfect occasion for an exquisite excursion into the creative universe of Liliana Basarab. The period of the exhibition isn’t, of course, random: it’s “the women’s month”, when little pieces of ceramics, coloured and modelled in various forms and shapes are offered as traditional gifts between the 1st and the 8th of March, invoking and activating archetypes and symbols. In her recent series of works, Liliana Basarab explores the art of becoming and unlearning through feminine perspectives and approaches, from chimeras and other mythological creatures, representative for her artistic practice, to self-portrait, in which the hair (from the work chosen for the exhibition poster) develops even more on the interpretation spectrum, including also the woman in the Islamic world. With great subtility and stylistic ability, Liliana Basarab expands in this sense connotations and mental images about the (self)portrait of the woman artist, but also about releasing/unlearning, reminding us, at the same time about the becoming of a branch of applied arts – ceramics – whose emancipation towards major arts overlaps with the evolution of modern feminism. (Ana Daniela Sultana)

Liliana Basarab (b. 1979) is a visual artist working in Bucharest, that started her career in Iași, in the early 2000s. Her art practice is socially engaged and often functions as a reflection on representation. She is interested in gender issues and works within various mediums like ceramics, sculpture, textiles, drawings, performance, workshops, video. She is part of the collective who organize the Sofia Nădejde – prize for literature written by women. Her works were shown in solo and group exhibitions like – My heart sits on my tongue (solo) at Sandwich Bucharest, RO, Ex-east – The past and present stories of the Romanian avant- garde, Oscar Niemeyer building, Paris, FR, Garage sale, Sandwich, RO and Beijing Konditorei, C5CNM Beijing, CN in 2019; Life a User’s Manual, ArtEncounters Biennial, Timișoara, RO in 2017; Talent is not democratic, art is not luxury, Borderline Art Space (solo), Iași, RO in 2016; In times of hope and unrest. Critical art from Iași, Museum of Contemporary Art Bucharest, RO in 2015.

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.

“Floral representations are a commonplace in popular tradition from an ethnographical or folkloric point of view, whether its Europe, the Balkans or Romania. And still, there are phytomorphic elements belonging to Romanian culture and specific details that make the difference not just between Romania and other neighboring countries, but also between inland regions, between villages, or between families. Moreover, it is a well-known fact that each IE (Romanian Blouse) is unique and says something very precise about its owner, the one that made it (if she is married, has children, if yes – how many, etc.) From a macro level to a micro level and back, Arina Bican gives us an excursion into the fascinating symbolism of ornaments. Since her penchant for fashion details is already a recognizable feature in her paintings, the focus in this solo show consists of the way she illustrates the hairstyle of her characters. For Arina Bican the queue serves as an indicator of femininity and speaks for manifestations of the respect for ancient traditions. Besides, they are a way to honor the cultural and historical legacy that the artist revisits. The braids depicted by Arina Bican, not only in her paintings, but also in her ceramics recall myths and interior images, while they also bring forth a journey into the subconscious collective Jung was describing; a journey through the virtual, the poetics of femininity, and the poetics of floral representations.” (Ana Daniela Sultana)

Arina Bican graduated from “Nicolae Tonitza” High school of Fine Arts (2010) and from the National University of Arts in Bucharest with a BA in mural art (2013), and a master’s degree in visual arts (2015). Member of the Fine Artists’ Union (U.A.P.), Department of Painting, Arina Bican develops an intense exhibitional activity, with various solo and group shows, in Bucharest, across the country and abroad, as well as a pedagogical activity. In 2022 she opened her studio dedicated to painting lessons called Yellow House. Currently, she is exclusively represented by Kulterra Gallery.

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.

Vatra Verde

Art Mirror Association

Vatra Verde project represented Romania at the London Design Biennale in 2023 and is with this occasion for the first time on view in Bucharest. A living installation, the work is made of innovative materials, plants, and recycled paper, transforming the plants’ vibrations into sound. The experience is then extended and mediated through a program consisting of workshops and artistic moments build on visual, musical, and educative concepts.

Created by the Art Mirror Association members, Vatra Verde has been so far explored by over 300.000 visitors within a traveling exhibition which started in London and then continued in Cluj-Napoca, Timișoara, and Târgu-Mureș.

The elements the installation is made of are renewable energy, mycelium, artistic objects made from recycled materials, interactivity, tradition, poetry, as well as a technical solution through which the plants’ vibrations are turned into sound. From an aesthetical point of view the installation pays homage to Brâncuși, by reinterpreting his seminal work titled “Table of Silence”, whereas from the point of view of the message it transmits, it implies strategies of sustainability and protection of the environment.

Art Mirror Association is a cultural NGO based in Cluj experimenting and testing techniques and durable solutions in order to educate communities in the field of recycling, reusing of materials, and ecology. Active since 2015, it organizes workshops, exhibitions, and community activities.

Voices Of the Wind

CRENGUȚA MITROFAN

“Oscillating between Romania and Austria for more than three decades, Crenguța Mitrofan managed to integrate into her personality these two personal geographies, each with its particularities, in a balanced way. However, recently, she came to realize that only home can one really listen to the ‘voices of the wind’. Then, she came across this idea elaborated on the radio, within a broadcast on Novalis, one of the most representative thinkers of German Romantism and understood how universal this subtle and complex poetic image is, which, although it implies a certain dynamics and mechanics of the movement, it actually consists of an expression of the time staying still, an invitation to stay in the present moment. Through the modality in which the works by Crenguța Mitrofan are displayed, the exhibition points out to the way the sound of the wind can be perceived. This, like other apparently ordinary sounds such as the squawk of the seagulls or crows, that of the waves crashing against the shore, or the swish of the leaves, often brings a melancholic, nostalgic, bitter-sweet feeling, prolific expressed in poetry, philosophy and many other artistic fields.” (Ana Daniela Sultana)

Crenguța Mitrofan is a visual artist born in Piatra Neamț, Romania. For more than 30 years she has been living in Austria, where she studied painting with prominent artists such as Ludwig Attersee and Edgar Tezak. She is active as an art educator, and at the same time she is exhibiting both in Romania and Austria.

Ana Daniela Sultana is a curator and columnist, a graduate 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 cultural institutes, museums, art centers, and with various contemporary art galleries.

“Always observant at what is going on in the media, locally as well as internationally, Ana Andronic (BUZU) often approaches in her work big topics of the day. In this new solo show titled ‘Barbillion’, BUZU questions the recent phenomenon by the same name, caused by the news that ‘Barbie’ by Greta Gerwig made over $1 billion, breaking a historical record for female directors. However, BUZU’s intention in this installation isn’t to feed the media hype, but to draw attention to the less positive consequences of the doll’s influence in girls’ lives and in society in general, like the carbon footprint the toy generates, or the unrealistic beauty standards it promotes. As for the artistic practice, the installation indicates – in terms of means of artistic expression – a new sculptural experiment presenting a direction pretty much different from the vibrant graphics accompanied by text she accustomed us with in her previous exhibitions and projects.”  (Ana Daniela Sultana)

Ana Ștefania Andronic (BUZU) is an artist who graduated in 2004 from Graphic Design Department of The National University of Arts in Bucharest, having Mircia Dumitrescu as coordintor professor. Member of The Romanian Artists’ Union from 2014, Ana Ștefania Andronic is also the founder of Galeria Fără Nume and the gallery director of Senso Gallery. Her artistic practice is complex, ranging from animation, illustration, and digital art, to painting, graphic design, and graphic installation. She exhibited in numerous solo and group shows and participated in various biennials, art fairs, and art saloons, in Romania and abroad.

Ana Daniela Sultana is a curator, columnist, and art advisor at creart – the Center for Creation, Art and Tradition of Bucharest. She holds BAs in philology and communication, and a MA in curating 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 the International Cultural Centre in Krakow, the Romanian Cultural Institute in Vienna, the Romanian Cultural Institute in Istanbul, 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.

Artists: Anca Boeriu, Alexandru Cînean, Cosmin Paulescu 

A visual installation derived from the audio performance/app THE WALKS by the renowned theatre collective Rimini Protokoll from Berlin, in co-production with creart/TEATRELLI and in partnership with Goethe-Institut Bucharest.

Curators: Roxana Lăpădat, Andreea Sandu

Photo artists – THE WALKS installation

Timișoara: Andreea Băban, Ioana Cionte, Felix Cionte, Peter Horațiu, Timotei Hotea,  Loredana Ilie Georgiana Șleam, Alexandra Ștefan, Alexandru Știube, Cristian Răzvan Uță

Sibiu: Andreea Bena, Raluca Elena Coșăreanu, Alexandra Dogaru, Cristina Fău,      Horia Fedorca, Maya Goia, Ilie Mitrea, Sergiu Pavălă, Andrei Popa, Paula Prade

Cluj-Napoca: Lucia Codreanu, Gabriela Jilav, Virgil Puiac, Elena Waldorf

Bucharest: Official photos of the Romanian version of the performance / app FTHE WALKS by Rimini Protokoll. Photo: Bogdan Botofei

The curatorial project starts from the theme of the Arts and Science Annual –  reconnection – and was specially designed as a bridge between different types of artistic manifestations, between artists and between the diverse public of the cities in which it will was itinerated: Timișoara, Sibiu, Cluj-Napoca and Bucharest.

Young artists from Timișoara, Sibiu and Cluj-Napoca wee invited to undergo the 10 ”Walks” of the experimental audio performance / app by Rimini Protokoll (in co-production with creart/Teatrelli and in partnership with Goethe-Institut Bucharest) and  to discover their city from a performative perspective, their experiences (materialized in photos that the application invites you to take) being encapsulated in an installation created by Cosmin Paulescu (Cozo), in the form of maps.

Part of the installation are also the works designed by the artist Alexandru Cînean from Sibiu, that were presented during the exhibition EYE SB-YOU (FITS 2021) and are now recontextualized for the project “Reconnecting the City”. The painted eyes, in the skylights of Sibiu’s houses, through which the city became a spectator of its own histories, will add new stories and images, from a different perspective: in 2021 they have documented the life of the city as an objective “spectator”, now they become subjective “spectators” who collect memories through an indirect performative experience – ”The Walks”. 

The perspective is completed by the ”people” of Anca Boeriu, her works offering a voice of the city through their ”presence”, but also through an audio installation: You look around, you see, listen, feel. It’s your love affair with the city. Then you wonder if people inhabit the city or allow themselves to be inhabited by it.

The exhibition project is part of the Art and Science Annual – Neo Art CONNECT (NAC), the first national platform, network and annual of art and science, initiated by Galateca Gallery and the Cultural Association Neo Art Romania and developed in partnership with BRD Groupe Société Générale, having as strategic partner Fundația 9. The platform kicked off its artistic events on 18th of May, with an exhibition entitled RECONNECTION, which has presented the five winning projects of the grants offered by BRD Groupe Société Générale during  pilot edition of Neo Art CONNECT pilot edition, held in autumn 2022. Events within the platform are planned until the end of July 2023.