The solo exhibition (IN) garden (SIDE) by Cătălina Doțiu, curated by Miruna Robescu, proposes a sensitive exploration of the relationship between interior and exterior, between intimate and exposed space, using the garden as a metaphor for memory, protection, and transformation. The opening will take place on February 21, at 17:00, at Park Gallery, on George Enescu Street in Timișoara.
“The Gardens of Versailles represent the ultimate expression of control over nature: a space where order, symmetry, and perspective become instruments of power and representation. More than a garden, Versailles functions as a projection of an idealized world in which nature is disciplined to reflect human will. In contrast to this imposed order, the Garden of Delights proposes another kind of garden: one of excess and contradiction, inspired by the visual universe of Hieronymus Bosch. Here, nature is no longer subject to rules but unfolds into a multitude of forms, symbols, and states. From this tension between control and emotion, (IN) garden (SIDE) emerges, narrating a hypothetical inner situation set within a garden constructed from a personal perspective.
In (IN) garden (SIDE), the flower represents personal transformation, holding both visual and conceptual expressive power. It is an apparently simple yet extremely complex structure, illustrating the growth and evolution of the feminine imprint in relation to the space that defines it. The natural environment is perceived and transformed through personal experience, becoming an interior space that originates in the human and extends into the vegetal system. Thus, the two life forms — human and flower — become one: the flower comes to life and gains consciousness, while the human learns to live and adapt to the conditions of nature, in a role-playing exchange between the two entities.
The garden becomes a space of experimentation, and the flower is the experiment of individual femininity, through which the artist relates to reality in an abstract manner, while preserving the classical representation of the flower. In Cătălina’s garden, each flower is a living emotion, and the abstraction of the works lies in capturing artistic experiences within an uncertain and fluid landscape, awaiting the completion of the artwork.” (curatorial text)
Cătălina-Maria Doțiu (b. 2001) is a graduate of the Faculty of Arts and Design in Timișoara, Painting department, and is currently enrolled in the Master’s program Painting – Sources and Resources of Painting. Her artistic practice focuses on painting as a space for reflection and exploration of interiority, investigating the relationship between memory, emotion, and nature. In her works, painting functions as a tool for analyzing emotional processes and the subtle mechanisms of identity. Vegetal motifs and organic structures are used as symbolic elements, the garden becoming a mental space that is constantly constructed and reconstructed. Her practice balances intuitive painterly gesture and conceptual reflection, proposing a sensitive approach to personal themes.
