Oana Ionel
Oana Ionel (b.1984) is a visual artist and independent curator based in Bucharest, Romania. She graduated the „National University of Fine Arts” (Bucharest). She holds a PhD in Visual Arts since 2018; she is also a graduate of the „Faculty of Psychology” (The University of Bucharest). Between 2009 and 2010 she studied at „Ecole Supérieure d'art” (Grenoble, France).
„The Secret Stories of Danube River” is the third exhibition project in a trilogy that Oana Ionel has outlined around the symbolism of the river. The artist visually synthesizes a series of conceptual aspects such as: the border as an invitation as opposed to a boundary, the correlation between walls and bridges, the cultural connections along the river, the diversity of the underlying epistemic scenarios present within the Danube region.
Originating in the Black Forest Mountains and flowing down to the Black Sea, crossing over 10 countries, the Danube is regarded as one of the most culturally relevant European rivers. Often identified as a symbol of European diversity (expressly underlining its solidarity), the Danube endures as a silent witness embodying an authentic depository of the old continent’s assimilated history.
In a reality where the tendency to build walls seems more enduring than the will to create bridges, the question arises as to how optimal a cultural diversity can coexist in a common space. An elementary answer can be drawn around t he notions of esteem, empathy and resilience. Along the river, the borders become permeable, abstract and metaphoric; the Danube area develops into a common space in which more than 20 languages are spoken. This cultural permeability is illustrated by works such as „ Morphic fields” or „Border as invitation”. Through the series of paintings entitled „Ada Kaleh” - made in wax and gold - the Danube is revealed as an instrument, as well as a receptacle of memory. (In 1970, the island of Ada Kaleh was intentionally submerged under the Iron Gates I hydroelectric reservoir).
On a visual level, the artist`s project proposes an immersive experience inside vast abstract spaces as symbols of the surrounding vibrant life, reconfiguring a potentially mnemonic map of the river and its secret stories .
Originating in the Black Forest Mountains and flowing down to the Black Sea, crossing over 10 countries, the Danube is regarded as one of the most culturally relevant European rivers. Often identified as a symbol of European diversity (expressly underlining its solidarity), the Danube endures as a silent witness embodying an authentic depository of the old continent’s assimilated history.
In a reality where the tendency to build walls seems more enduring than the will to create bridges, the question arises as to how optimal a cultural diversity can coexist in a common space. An elementary answer can be drawn around t he notions of esteem, empathy and resilience. Along the river, the borders become permeable, abstract and metaphoric; the Danube area develops into a common space in which more than 20 languages are spoken. This cultural permeability is illustrated by works such as „ Morphic fields” or „Border as invitation”. Through the series of paintings entitled „Ada Kaleh” - made in wax and gold - the Danube is revealed as an instrument, as well as a receptacle of memory. (In 1970, the island of Ada Kaleh was intentionally submerged under the Iron Gates I hydroelectric reservoir).
On a visual level, the artist`s project proposes an immersive experience inside vast abstract spaces as symbols of the surrounding vibrant life, reconfiguring a potentially mnemonic map of the river and its secret stories .
Danubian Limes
2019160x140CM
Acrylic on Canvas
Stillness I
202040x40CM
Acrylic on Canvas
Stillness II
202040x40CM
Acrylic on Canvas
Morphic Fields
202040x90CM
Acrylic on Canvas
Border as an invitation
2020130x110CM
Acrylic on Canvas
Panoramic Views
202040x30CM
Acrylic on Canvas
River as Life
2020160x140CM
Acrylic on Canvas
Ada - Kaleh - Mnemonics
202040x30CM
Acrylic,Gold and Wax on Canvas
Studies:
- 2018 - 2012 Phd in Visual Arts, National University of Fine Arts, Bucharest, Romania
- 2012 - 2010 Creation Strategies in Painting, Master Degree , National University of Fine Arts Bucharest, Romania
- 2010 - 2009 Cinema and Painting, L`Ecole Superiure d`art, Grenoble, France (Eramsus scholarship)
- 2010 - 2007 Ba Degree (Painting), National University of Fine Arts, Bucharest, Romania
- 2007 - 2003 Faculty of Psychology, (Experiential Therapies), Ba Degree, University of Bucharest, Romania
Solo Exhibitions:
- 2020 - The Secret Stories of Danube River, Art9TEEN Gallery, Vienna, AU
- 2020 - Danube - River as Life, Visual Art Museum, Galați, RO
- 2019 - The Secret Stories of Danube River, Galateca Gallery, Bucharest, Ro
- 2019 - Hidden Stories of Ada Kaleh (during Forbes Gala 500), Palace of Parliament, Bucharest, Ro
- 2019 - Danube -River as Experience, Romanian Cultural Institute, Bucharest, Ro
- 2019 - Spirit of Ecstasy, Rolls Royce Season Opening, Munchen
- 2014 - Hipnotic, The New Gallery, Bacău, Ro
- 2013 - The DreamMachine (curator: Olivia Nitiș), Aiurart Gallery, Bucharest, Ro
- 2013 - Hipnotic, Metropolis Center, Bucharest, Ro
- 2010 - Introspections, Paul Amarica Gallery, Paris, France
Group Exhibitions:
- 2020 - Limitazioni/ Delimitazioni, The fifth edition of Memementerrare Art Festival (curator Dr. Elmar Zorn), Villamaina, Italy
- 2018 - Here- There, Cotroceni National Art Museum, Bucharest, Ro
- 2018 - GPL collection, Kunsthaus 7 B Gallery, Sibiu, Ro
- 2018 - Gemeinsam (Together) Exhibition, Sibiu Airport, Ro
- 2017- ArtPrivat , Kunsthaus7B, Michelsberg, Ro
- 2017 - Colonia 21, The National Library of Romania (curator: Anca Verona Mihulet), Bucharest, Ro
- 2017 - Art Safari (Lina Gallery), Bucharest, Ro
- 2016 - MulticulturalARTwalk - Galateca Gallery, Bucharest, Ro
- 2016 - The Palace of Parliament , Inter-Art, Bucharest, Ro
- 2016 - Trans_Art (The fortified church in Cincsor, Făgăraş), Ro
- 2014 - You might see rainbows. Or Not (International art residence, X Platform) WASP, Bucharest, Ro
- 2013 - Women in Colours, Mătăsari Home, Bucharest, Ro
- 2012 - Palace of Parliament, Bucharest, Ro
- 2012 - Art House, Art Yourself Gallery, Bucharest, Ro
- 2011 - Ebiennale (during the International Festival G.Enescu), The Palace Hall, Bucharest, Ro
- 2011 - Alpha Gallery, Bacău, Chișinău, Ro
- 2010 - The Visual Art Center, Bucharest, Ro
- 2010 -Graduation Exhibition, Artis Gallery (National Theater), Bucharest, Ro
- 2009 - Les Portes Ouvertes, ESAG, Grenoble, France
- 2008 - The Suțu Palace, Bucharest
- 2007- The New Gallery, Bucharest, Ro
- 2006 - Ava Gallery, New Hampshire, USA
- 2005 - Opera Theater, Bucharest , Ro
- 2004 -Visual Dialogue Gallery, Bucharest, Ro
- 2004 -The Small Theater, Bucharest, Ro
Curatorial Projects:
- 2021 – THE SPACE IN BETWEEN – Gabriela von Habsburg, Kunsthaus 7 B Gallery, RO
- 2019 - ARTIST AND THE MODEL - Frédéric Léglise, Art Museum Timisoara, Ro
- 2019 - ARTIST AND THE MODEL - Frédéric Léglise, Kunsthaus 7B, Sibiu, Ro
- 2019 - MORPHOGENETIC FIELDS , Visual Art Museum, Galați, Ro
- 2018 - ART PRIVAT, second edition, Kunsthaus 7 B, Ro
- 2018 - FLOWING MINDSCAPES, Kaleidoscope Gallery, Bucharest, Ro
- 2018 - ROMANIAN MODERN ART ( Tonitza, Luchian, Pallady, Iser, Iorgulescu-Yor, Ghiaţă, Theodorescu-Sion, Ciucurencu, Bălţatu, Dărăscu) – Kaleidoscope Gallery, Bucharest, Ro
- 2018 - DECONSTRUCTING THE PATTERNS, Kaleidoscope Gallery, Bucharest, Ro
- 2017 - VICTOR VASARELY, Kunsthaus 7B, Cisnădioara, Sibiu , Ro
- 2017 - TUDOR BANUŞ – HONORÉ DAUMIER, The National Museum of Art of Romania, Bucharest, Ro
- 2017 - TUDOR BANUŞ- Retrospective, Art Museum, Timişoara, Ro
- 2017 - MORPHOGENETIC FIELDS ( Mircea Cantor, Adrian Ghenie, Şerban Savu, Ecaterina Vrana, Teodora Axente, Maxim Liulca, Răzvan Boar, Mircea Suciu, Ciprian Mureşan) - Kaleidoscope Gallery, Bucharest, Ro