Ioana Mincu
What Knots Knot Knots
February 20 – April 4, 2025
Atelier 35, Str. Șelari 13, Bucharest
Catinca Tabacaru Gallery, in collaboration with Atelier 35, is pleased to announce the opening of What Knots Knot Knots, Ioana Mincu’s first solo exhibition in Bucharest, a visual exploration of the interdependencies between matter, time, and the imaginary.
The exhibition recontextualizes nature as both a sanctuary and a force, a space that is simultaneously protective and devouring. Through a multidisciplinary practice that combines video, installation, and sculptural elements, Mincu challenges conventional dualisms—human/non-human, real/imaginary—proposing a vision of radical entanglement, where all life forms, whether organic, technological, or fantastical, coexist in a continuous flow of transformation.
“My favorite childhood game was lying on the grass, imagining myself as small as an insect, trying to capture all the tiny details of the world around me—until my eyes hurt.” – Ioana Mincu
In this exhibition, the space transforms into a realm of revelation, where layers of reality are deconstructed to unveil the subtle interdependencies within the living world. The public is invited to discover this deeply contemplative vision of nature and humanity’s relationship with the environment—a space where the boundaries between artificial and natural, control and surrender, blur into a play of fragility and becoming.
Ioana Mincu
Ioana Mincu (n. 2001) is a Romanian young visual artist who explores a universe of personal mythologies, characterized by an unaltered, sometimes naive fascination with the world. Her work takes various forms, ranging from traditional drawing and painting to ceramics, video, and installation.
Drawing inspiration from childhood animistic beliefs, nature, fairy tales, and cartoons, she uses fantasy and escapism not as blind detachment from reality but as a way to foster connection and appreciation for environmental, social, and mental ecologies. Her magical creatures sneak out of imagination and reveal themselves in cotidian settings as symbols of the invisible interconnectedness that surrounds us.
Her artistic journey began at the Nicolae Tonitza Fine Art School in Bucharest (2011–2019). She later pursued a degree in Illustration at the University of the Arts London (2019–2023). In the past year, her work has been exhibited as part of the STOL Collective at Suprainfinit Gallery in Bucharest and as part of a group show at MARe in Bucharest. She also held her first solo show at Out House Gallery in London.
