Romanian Cultural Institut's newest permanent programme, “The London Salon of Romanian Art”, is showcasing some of the most original, adventurous, daring and blissful work produced by Romanian artists who have made London their home and inspiration for many years. Featuring Monica Madaş, Cristian Luchian, Ioana Pioaru, Vinicius Leş and Florin Ungureanu.
The exhibition, presented in conjunction with the Open House weekend, comprises works representing different forms of artistic expression: painting, mixed media, drawing, illustration and ceramics.
Singer-songwriter and puppeteer Monica Lucia Madaş (also known as Monooka) is a graduate of the University of Theatre and Film (UNATC) Bucharest. She worked in puppet theatres in Romania, and in 2006 she made her first public appearance as a singer at the Art Jazz Club in Bucharest. Monica’s music is a very original mix of pop, folk, jazz and traditional Romanian songs. Since moving to London, Monica performed in various venues as a singer and puppeteer, and has recently discovered a new talent: drawing.
Cristian Luchian creates in various artistic environments such as visual arts, theater and video design. From a technical standpoint, most of the works are made in mixed media technique as a result of his focus towards the alchemy of the organic material in combination with the synthetic one. His recent work investigates the artistic and technical collaboration of the highly performative human gesture with the artificial line of digital intervention.
Ioana Pioaru is an artist whose recent work explores the boundary between drawing and sculpture but also the ability of sculptural design to generate optical illusions. Since 2012, she has been collaborating with British artist David Goldenberg, their works being exhibited in international events such as the Venice Biennale, 2013, The Caspian Biennial Convention Baku, 2013, and Flux Factory NY, 2014. In Romania, Ioana Pioaru is represented by AnnArt Gallery.
Florin Ungureanu got his Masters in Fine Art at the Goldsmiths College, University of London. Born on 1 March 1971 in Iasi, Romania, he has been living and working in London since 2003. Florin has also lived and worked in Italy between 1998 and 2003. His work explores the concepts of power, politics, history, identity and death through irony and humour, and he is interested in how they influence beliefs and perceptions by altering and subverting them.
Vinicius Les was introduced to the world of art by his father ever since he was 5, first learning the craft of pottery and later the art of form and color on a two-dimensional surface. He is a graduate of the Faculty of Fine Arts and Design in Timişoara, where he studied painting. His works are deeply rooted in nature, and are representative of abstract expressionism.
Preview - Thursday 17 September, 7pm
The exhibition is open until 2 October, Mon-Fri, 10 am – 5 pm.
