Six contemporary artists in dialogue with Brâncuși’s legacy

150 years after the birth of Constantin Brâncuși, the project “Imagined Dialogues with Brâncuși: Expanding the Bounds of Artistic Expression”, co-financed by the Ministry of Culture, proposes a meeting between the legacy of one of Romania’s most important artists and the perspectives of a new generation of artists who choose sculpture as their primary means of expression.

Initiated by Empower Art & Artists Association, in partnership with SerArte Foundation and GLORIÆ Art Gallery, the project opens to the public on Thursday, July 16, at 7:00 PM, at GLORIÆ Art Gallery in Craiova, through a collective indoor and outdoor exhibition curated by Gloria Berceanu and Valentin Boiangiu. The opening event will also include an Artist Talk session with the artists and curators, offering the public the opportunity for a direct dialogue about the exhibited works and the creative process behind them.

The exhibition brings together six contemporary artists with distinct visual practices: Alexandra Brînzac, Lorena Cocioni, Miruna Copăcel, Andreea Grigoraș, Ana Ionescu, and Ana Pascu. Four of the artists were selected through a national Open Call, and the project includes an online mentoring session led by Valentin Boiangiu, as well as research and documentation visits to Târgu-Jiu and Craiova, organized in partnership with the Craiova Art Museum and the “Constantin Brâncuși” Research, Documentation and Promotion Center.

Sculpture as an artistic choice and a form of resilience

For Valentin Boiangiu, co-curator of the exhibition, the project is built around the idea of continuity and the ongoing reinterpretation of Brâncuși’s legacy:

“The project ‘Imagined Dialogues with Brâncuși’ aims to present six Romanian female artists within a creative situation, acting within the unifying framework of the ‘present continuous’ tense, borrowed from the English language. This does not represent merely a morphological device, but refers to a directional artistic concept that ensures the continuity and relevance of the essence of Brâncuși’s work within contemporary Romanian art.

Brâncuși stated that ‘art is the absolute truth’. Starting from this aphorism, one can say that one of the main elements of absolute and truthful artistic creation is freedom of thought and expression. The six artists selected for this project work with elements characterized by independent and individual ingenuity. The diversity of their artistic manifestations lies primarily in their choice of the most appropriate materials for a specific concept and for the process of developing that concept.

The results are openings rather than answers, towards multiple possibilities of perception and interactions with other potential contaminations. This final aspect constitutes the driving force of this exhibition, hybrid in both form and ideas, yet united through a network of reciprocal influences between its own elements and through empathy towards the proposed location at GLORIÆ Gallery in Craiova.”

For Gloria Berceanu, co-curator of the exhibition and founder of GLORIÆ Art Gallery, the chosen space plays an essential role in constructing the dialogue between artworks, architecture, and the public:

“The curatorial vision unfolds within the gallery’s pavilion and garden, two exhibition spaces designed to support sculpture, object, installation, and experimental art. The exhibition becomes a framework that opens both the dialogue between the artworks and Brâncuși’s oeuvre, within this ‘present continuous’ of reinterpretations and recontextualizations, as well as the dialogue with the audience, who experiences the transcendence of an inexhaustible legacy.”

“Imagined Dialogues with Brâncuși” was born from a profound admiration for Constantin Brâncuși’s work and from the desire to bring into focus a new wave of female artists who have chosen sculpture as their primary means of expression.

Sculpture remains one of the most “demanding” artistic mediums: it requires generous working spaces, specialized tools and technologies, costly materials, and involves significant logistical challenges related to production, handling, storage, and transportation. At the same time, the art market often favors other forms of artistic expression. Nevertheless, there is a generation of artists who practice sculpture with passion, dedication, discipline, and remarkable ease.

I hope that this exhibition will, above all, be a celebration of these artists and of a practice that continues to prove its relevance.” — Angela Izvercian, Project Initiator & Co-founder of Empower Art & Artists Association

Six artists, six perspectives on contemporary sculpture

The exhibition brings together distinct artistic practices united by an interest in matter, form, the body, and transformation.

Alexandra Brînzac explores the relationship between identity and materiality through a multidisciplinary practice in which sculptural forms develop organically through successive accumulations.

Lorena Cocioni investigates feminine corporeality, everyday rituals, and the memory of gestures through combinations of materials such as ceramics, glass, and metal.

Miruna-Ioana Copăcel examines processes of transformation of objects and the ways in which artistic intervention can alter the perception of familiar forms.

Andreea Grigoraș approaches the body as a space where personal experience and cultural norms intersect, exploring tensions between identity, desire, and representation.

Ana Ionescu, an artist whose practice is centered on sculpture, explores the relationship between object, corporeality, and perception, creating forms situated between the familiar and the imaginary.

Ana Pascu investigates the human figure beyond identity, through a practice that encompasses photography, video art, and the object, examining the relationship between presence, form, and materiality.

The choice of Craiova as the location for the project carries a significant symbolic dimension. The city is connected to the early formation of Constantin Brâncuși, where his artistic talent was first recognized and where he received the support that enabled him to continue his studies at the School of Arts and Crafts.

Through “Imagined Dialogues with Brâncuși”, sculpture becomes a space of encounter between generations, materials, and perspectives. The exhibition does not seek to provide definitive answers, but rather opens new possibilities for perception and dialogue, continuing the exploratory spirit of Brâncuși’s work.

Opening: July 16, 7:00 PM.
Location: GLORIÆ Art Gallery, Craiova.
Project initiated by: Empower Art & Artists Association.
Main partners: SerArte Foundation & GLORIÆ Art Gallery.
Institutional partners: Craiova Art Museum and the “Constantin Brâncuși” Research, Documentation and Promotion Center.
Co-financed by: Ministry of Culture.