The group exhibition “Cache”, opened at Zina Gallery, presents artworks by Lucian Barbu, Giulia Crețulescu and Roberta Curcă.

“Sketches, drawings, notes, marks, and papers in the artists’ studios possess a quiet allure. They are a glimpse into a very personal and unfiltered space, one that feels less like an intrusion and more like a genuine encounter with the artist’s practice. Sight becomes insight, as the image turns autonomous and differentiated, regardless of its part in a “finished work”.

Centering the sketch and drawing, the exhibition tracks moments in the artists’ conceptual and creative processes. The works are presented alongside their physical counterparts, extracted from the studio – stencils, paper models, crayon residue, and notebooks – , highlighting the relationship between thought and form, between idea and execution.

The title cache [hidden], borrowed from computing, refers to a type of hidden memory used for quick access. In cognitive psychology, visual cache describes a temporary storage system for visual and spatial information. These definitions mirror the artists’ own repositories – collections of visual notes and fragments held in reserve, often unseen by the public. Like cached files or fleeting thoughts, these images reveal the more private dimensions of artistic practice.

Lucian Barbu, Giulia Crețulescu, and Roberta Curcă’s works operate with extensive drawing and repetition of form. They experiment with geometric and figurative outlines on paper, employing techniques such as cut-outs, matrices, or stencils. Once a desired shape is found, it is reiterated – repetition becoming a method to permanentize the image. Beyond drawing, the artists utilize paper itself as a medium, using processes such as binding, collage, and manual paper-making.
By foregrounding the studio process, “Cache” revisits graphism as a raw and genuine visual language, resourceful and whole, accessible and relatable.” – text by Iulia Vlad