The personal exhibition of the artist Mimi Pleșoianu proposes a captivating exploration of human and non-human presences and transit spaces, the flow of time and memory, in a playful approach. With a recognizable artistic imprint, the artist exhibits a series of new works that question the present by revaluing the memories we relive.
The subjects exhibited are often inspired by personal experiences and emotions, from a past of innocence, and, last but not least, from a rich Asian cultural repertoire. In her artistic practice, Mimi Pleșoianu is interested in the connections between the stories of her own imaginary and the viewer’s reporting in the rediscovery and revaluing of the objects around us, which are often considered kitschy.
Thus, a dialogue of temporal and spatial duality is outlined through the presence of kitsch that homogenizes on the canvas, becoming an essential component of the rendered subject in a vibrant pink and purple hue. The eccentric visual field represents a temporal and spatial landmark through which an invitation is launched toward the sensory exploration of the sweet explosion of vanilla and melted sugar cocktails. Time is mystified and measured with each rotation of the seconds by the maneki neko solar cats.
The exhibition is located on the border between utopia and reality. Through the selection of works, the curatorial discourse proposes an overcoming of the canonical medium of exhibiting acrylic on canvas through the transition to installation. In this sense, the presence of the characters, the non-human, and the so-known elements materialize – the maneki neko cats, cakes, and flowers, with which the viewer interacts, in a visual and olfactory approach, detached from an imaginary universe. Thus, reflection on the dualistic nature of human experience, sweet and ephemeral temptations, and challenges are questioned.
Floating Imaginations becomes an ideal space of paintings that belong to a world in motion – defined in Asian art by the term Ukiyo-e, with a complex aesthetic revalued playfully and uniquely.
Rafaela Bîrlădeanu, curator.
The exhibition can be visited untill November 12, 2023.
Mimi Pleșoianu graduated from the National University of Arts in Bucharest, painting department, both the bachelor’s and master’s cycles and is currently a PhD student at the same university. Among the most important projects and exhibitions are “Diploma” (2017), “Heroes/Antiheroes. Trends in Romanian Contemporary Art”, exhibition within Art Safari (2021), exhibition “Dintr-UNA,” Constanța Art Museum (2021) and personal exhibition “Sleep Paralysis,” ARTHUB, Bucharest (2019).








