The 3rd edition of the Salon of Romanian-American Artists at RCI New York
About the Event
The third edition of our annual Salon of Romanian-American Artists marks a true milestone as we present, for the first time, an exhibition devoted to Romanian-Canadian visual creativity. This project highlights the diversity of contemporary sensibilities by showcasing a group of five artists – Mona Ciciovan, Cătălin Domniţeanu, Carmen Smutneac, Costin Tuţă, Vasile Trif, and the late Ecaterina Pascaluta known as Ica Pas (1931-2020) – who explore the concept of "antisymmetry”, inviting a reflection on the artistic dialogue between two cultures, Romanian and Canadian, while at the same time underlining the creative contrasts and merging differences between the two respective identities. The works engage viewers in a conversation about the exhibition’s overarching themes, fostering fresh understandings of, and new perspectives on, contemporary realities.
Each of the five artists contribute their own interpretations of physical, metaphysical, spiritual, social, and existential themes, offering insights into the complexities of human experience. Their works—ranging from thought-provoking sculptures to captivating paintings—highlight both individual and collective narratives shaping the way we understand the world today and promise to forge connections across different viewpoints and lived experiences. Join us on this artistic journey and immerse yourself in the richness of these creative expressions, reflecting, in the process, on your own perceptions.
The exhibition is organized by The Romanian Cultural Institute in New York and runs at the Brâncuşi Gallery in Midtown Manhattan from October 18 through November 8, 2024.
THE SALON OF THE ROMANIAN-AMERICAN ARTISTS is a permanent program of the Romanian Cultural Institute in New York, launched in 2022, which aims to promote the works of contemporary North-American artists of Romanian origin and showcase the creative vitality of the Romanian-American artistic community.
Antisymmetric / Romanian-Canadian Perspectives in Contemporary Art
Featuring: Mona Ciciovan, Cătălin Domniţeanu, Carmen Smutneac, Costin Tuţă, Vasile Trif, and the late Ecaterina Pascaluta known as Ica Pas (1931-2020)
October 18 – November 8, 2024
Opening: October 18, 2024 @ 7 PM
BRÂNCUṢI GALLERY
Romanian Cultural Institute
200 East 38th Street, New York City, NY 10016
Gallery Hours: 9 AM - 5 PM, Monday-Friday
Meet the Artists
Mona Ciciovan's oeuvre is a profound exploration of memory, perception, and personal experience. Her art oscillates between abstraction and figuration, blending urban landscapes with metaphorical meaning. With spontaneity and balance, she exploits geometry, mirrors, and color to transcend traditional representation. Her unique style conveys energy and vibrations, revealing a deeper image dimension. Ciciovan's works invite viewers to delve into their own memories, evoking aesthetic pleasure and profound reflection.
Image credit: Mona Ciciovan, “A Lifetime of Memories”, oil on canvas, 60 x 40 inches
Cătălin Domnițeanu's sculptures delve into fundamental physics, exploring the intricate web of science and philosophy. His works reveal the hidden patterns and laws governing our universe, intertwining the beauty of physics with human experience. Through a profound synthesis of ideas, Domniteanu's art illuminates the interconnectedness of existence, inspiring a deeper understanding of our place within the world.
Image credit: Cătălin Domnițeanu, “Red Shift Navigator”, glass and metal, 26 x 24 x 18 inches
Carmen Smutneac's enigmatic paintings unravel the threads of time, myth, and memory. With bold brushstrokes and a rebellious heart, she weaves a tapestry of emotions, inviting us to step into her surreal world. Each piece is a portal to the infinite, a whispered secret, a doorway to the unknown. Her art transports the viewer to the depths of the human experience, where the boundaries of reality blur and the imagination knows no limits.
Image credit: Carmen Smutneac, “Coeziune”, acrylic on canvas, 60 x 40 inches
Costin Tuță is a contemporary installation artist who blends figurative expressionism with new mediums with the goal to explore the intricate relationships between macro and micro-cosmic worlds. Using abstract geometric forms, traditional drawing techniques along with innovative materials like epoxy resin the artist investigates themes such as germination, entropy, and cosmic correspondences. This thought-provoking work invites viewers to ponder the interconnectedness of life, nature, and technology, revealing the intricate web of relationships that binds our universe.
Image credit: Costin Tuță, “Made in Canada”, charcoal epoxy on paper, 29 x 40 inches
Vasile Trif's art embarks on a profound odyssey, charting the spaces between material and spiritual realms. His work delves into interference, traversing boundaries between inner and outer worlds. With profound spirituality, Trif's art initiates a journey of self-discovery, retrieving fragments of the divine. Tapping into Byzantine and Transylvanian traditions, he creates a distinctive visual language, inviting contemplation and rediscovery. His art is a testament to creativity's transformative power, illuminating the path to beauty, meaning, and deeper understanding.
Image credit: Vasile Trif, "Let There be Light!", acrylic on paper, 7 x 7 in
Ica Pas - Ecaterina Pascaluta was a Romanian Canadian artist who immigrated to Canada and devoted her life to creating a great body of art - work. As an immigrant artist, she faced many challenges. It was not easy to start a new life in a country where you couldn’t speak the lan - guage, being a new mother and away from your family in Romania, however, she continued to pursue her passion for creating art, inspired by the beauty of this new land - Canada, especially Ontario's landscape. Born in Moldova, Iasi, she began her art journey in Bucharest, graduat - ing from Nicolae Grigorescu (the National University of Art, now). Ica Pas created multi - ple art expressions, from furniture, plastic arts, mosaic, drawing, painting, and sculpture, influ - enced by Dadaism, surrealism, and modern expressionism. Ica Pas's work was featured at art shows in Romania, France, Czechoslovakia, Austria, and Turkey, through her grants with the Union of Artists of Romania, government grants, and commissions for her mosaics work. Her immigrant story began after they left Bucharest for Paris in 1968, where she worked as a restorer of antique French furniture. After living in Paris for 2 years, Ica and her husband Octavian Pascaluta, emigrated to Canada with Octavian’s son, Julian, whom Ica had adopted as her own, and they settled in Ontario, where they welcomed their first child together, Barbara. Initially moving to Oshawa Ontario, they settled in Toronto shortly after Barbara was born, in a building downtown and close to the CN Tower, the University of Toronto, Yorkville, surrounded by a southern Toronto skyline.Ica Pas started creating drawings, paintings, and sculptures with a blooming inspiration and a keen eye for everything around. Ica Pas, a true artist, would spend her limited funds on art sup - plies to create her beautiful and intense artwork. She was a complete artist who used her time to create, practice, read, develop, and look for ways to express her complex thoughts. She was unique in her style and personality, not one to follow the norm or look to fit into a stan - dard nor did she concern herself with acquiring money or many material possessions. She solely wanted to work on creating the visions in her mind and would often utilize most of her limited funds on art materials, books, and trips to the museum. She was passionate about her ideas and only knew how to create art that communicated what her words couldn’t express. However, Ica Pas never stopped creating art in various forms throughout her life. Some of her last was her musical compositions. As per her daughter’s memories, Ica worked until her last final days, drawing sketches on anything she could, as well as having music compositions she had written played back to her on the piano, as interrupted by a musician. It is worth mentioning that at the age of 72, Ica began to study classical piano at the Toronto Conservatory of Music and contin - ued to take classes for many years, where she learned how to read and write music. She would compose her songs, drawn from inspirations from the city and lakeshore. Composing music stayed with Ica throughout her life as she continued to write and compose on her electric piano. Ica leaves a legacy through her art that tells a story of the uniqueness and survival of a Romanian immigrant woman that used art to express her complexities, challenges, and insights, which are now being shared. @ica_pas
Text credit: Amorena Minculescu, www.observatorul.com
Image credit: Ica Pas
