The Romanian Imaginarium - An Illustrated Introduction

7th Nov 14 - 5th Feb 15

7th Nov 14 - 5th Feb 15
Opening: 6.30 pm - 9.00 pm; Opening Hours: 11.00 am - 6.00 pm
Romanian Cultural Centre in London, Manchester Square, 18 Fitzhardinge Street, London W1H 6EQ
Free
The Romanian Cultural Centre in London (RCC) presents:
 
THE ROMANIAN IMAGINARIUM - AN ILLUSTRATED INTRODUCTION
AITCH / SADDO / PETRIDEAN / NOPER / KITRA / BRANEA
Curator: Catalina Bolozan
November 7, 2014 – February 5, 2015
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OPENING: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7,  2014 | 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Manchester Square, 18 Fitzhardinge Street, London W1H 6EQ | ADMISSION FREE | FACEBOOK PAGE
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Synchronising with a season dedicated to illustration across London, RCC is pleased to present The Romanian Imaginarium – An Illustrated Introduction, an exhibition that brings together limited edition screenprints by six established Romanian multidisciplinary artists. This is their first exhibition in the UK.

 
Drawing on folklore, mythology, religion, urban culture and Romanian idiosyncrasies their diverse body of work, spanning street art interventions, murals, illustration, photography, cartooning and animation, has been spontaneously, yet steadily redefining their country’s artistic and visual identity. Unified by common affinities and similar backgrounds, their art allows glimpses into the wild imagination, aspirations and zeitgeist of a contemporary, urban Romania.
 
For the duration of the show the first floor of RCC will be transformed into a gallery featuring over twenty artworks, most of them on view for the first time, some rich in texture and palette of colour, others monochrome and graphic with subject matter varying from a Victorian reinterpretation of the body, to imagery of Spanish and Portuguese conquistadors to a satirical study of local oddities.
 
As well as offering a unique insight into the lush and far-out worlds of a group of thriving artists the exhibition celebrates the peak of a long existing medium within the Romanian visual culture providing a context to remember modern illustrators such as Jules Perahim, Vasile Kazar, Helga Unipan and Petre Vulcanescu, trailblazers who unpacked the emotional and cultural power of a unique slice of visual history.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS
VALI PETRIDEAN, a trained sculptor who works as an illustrator and photographer, is one of Romania’s most prolific image-makers. His painterly illustrations, vivid visual narratives usually informed by real life stories, caught book publishers, advertising agencies and industry’s attention. The two works on display were selected in Luerzer's 200 Best Illustrators Worldwide (09-10).
 
AITCH aka Heliana Rotariu originally hails from Romania but prefers not to put down roots in any one place. New scenery inspires and invigorates her tactile, folky illustrations and a constant string of exhibitions in cities across the continent pushes her technique further. Her dreamy characters hide amongst William Morris-esque gardens and bring to mind a bright and bold reincarnation of Victorian melancholy while still retaining a strong sense of her Romanian heritage.
 
SADDO aka Raul Oprea is an artist, illustrator, muralist and founder of one of the first Romanian street art collectives, The Playground. His street art activity brought a fresh fun vibe to Romania’s urban culture and opened the door to commissions from advertising agencies and collaborations with galleries from across the world. Going through many different stages and influences, from horror movie posters and street art to comics, Saddo’s style has recently developed into a more elaborate one, with influences ranging from old masters such as Giuseppe Arcimboldo, Bosch, Brueghel, Walton Ford to naturalistic illustration, pop surrealism, religion and mythology.
 
KITRA  aka Nicu Duta was born and raised in Targoviste, a small and quiet city near Bucharest. Since graduating with an MA in Visual Arts from The University of Arts in Bucharest in 2012 he has been working as an artist and art director in Bucharest and London. His multidisciplinary practice spans across media, incorporating illustration, street art, toy and graphic design. 
 
NOPER aka Radu Pop is an illustrator, animator and art director who captures the feel of Bucharest in a seamless way. His intricate and elaborate illustrations are sometimes injected with a drop of urban darkness and feature haunting, gothic resembling characters. The pieces on display are part of Feed Me, an egg-shaped installation that “breathes as long as your head stays inside and dies when you disconnect from it” developed in collaboration with artist Saint Machine. After being shown in one of Bucharest’s main squares the installation is now travelling to various art spaces across Europe.
 
MATEI BRANEA has been active on the Romanian art scene for almost fifteen years as an illustrator, animator and comics writer. A wry storyteller and observer of the Romanian idiosyncrasies his illustrations are informed by the associations between words and images. The works on display are part of the series ‘Eat My Balkans’, ‘Life’, ‘Irony’, ‘Sarcasm’, ‘Drama’  – an ongoing chronicle and exploration of the inimitable Romanian peculiarities.

Special thanks to ATELIERUL DE PRINT
 
ALL WORKS ON DISPLAY WILL BE FOR SALE 
 Opening reception kindly sponsored by Deli Twist
 

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