'Homagium et Aedificia' by Doina Moss
Group exhibition organised by Doina Moss and Alexandra Teaca
To celebrate 130 years from the foundation of the school or architecture in Romania.
Our resident artist Doina Maravela Moss was delighted to have been asked to organise a Summer Exhibition to celebrate 130 years since the founding of her school of architecture, by showcasing artworks by practicing architects. She asked her friend Alexandra Teaca to join her in organising the block-buster event. Her university, nicknamed “the school”, has a long tradition of drawing and painting, the foundation for their project presentation before the emergence of computers and graphic aided design.
The exhibition will run between 8th to 24th June 2022 at the main University of architecture and Urban design, in Bucharest Romania. Alexandra and Doina drew up a list of artists to take part in the show. Some old friend, new friends, professors, colleagues, all accepted to contribute at building up the wider picture. The President, Professor Emeritus in architecture Emil Barbu Popescu was the mastermind behind the celebration idea. His excellency acquired a number of magnificent paintings from architects around the world, which they included in the exhibition.
The preview opening evening took place on the 8th June 2022, with a great turnout and fantastic speakers, art critics introducing the artists. Professor Emeritus Dr in Architecture Dorin Stefan, and Dr Professor in Architecture Sorin Vasilescu introduced the concept of art and architecture intertwinement to the audience.
Doina organised her part from London while Alexandra was the main contributor on the ground, engaging key members of the university to roll the show. As architects are good at project management, the skills came very useful in meeting the target opening date.
Doina's wall being installed by her brother
We would like to mention that Alexandra exhibited at our gallery in London, back in 2019, as a guest of honour. We organised a preview party for her, giving her a place in our window and also sold a few paintings. There is blog on her exhibition.
The exhibition hall is located immediately by the main entrance, passing the grand staircase.
Doina divides her time carefully between architecture and fine art, both requiring passion, devotion, resilience, perseverance, talent and intuition. On this occasion, she was the prisoner of architecture, having sent her 13 paintings in advance, she was able to be monitoring from the distance, with the great help from her brother, Florin Maravela and her sister-in-law Alexandra Simion. Florin installed her paintings, he monitors and curates all her paintings in Romania. He receives her diplomas on her behalf, from her various exhibitions.
All the participant artists are successful practicing architects who developed in parallel their artistic persona career, being all active participants in international exhibitions.
The only exception is Adina Moldova Titrea, invited as the guest of honour, the only non-architect exhibitor. Adina is an established artist, has a longstanding track record of collaborating with Doina and Alexandra. Adina curates numerous exhibitions and they recently had one in Madrid. Currently, Adina holds an exhibition at “Occidentului Gallery” in Bucharest, where Doina is exhibiting a painting.
Doina is an en plain air painter, primarily, travelling with her kit and canvases, setting up base in front of iconic buildings or places of her personal interest. Inevitably, lots of her subjects contain elements of architecture.
In this exhibition, Doina is showing canvases painted in Romania, Bulgaria, Italy, Montenegro and England.
Those canvases had been exhibited in January this year, at the Union of Architects headquarters in Bucharest, while Doina coordinated and attended via Zoom.
The technology is wonderful at helping bring people together, help organise events from afar but the tangible interaction between artists, art and the public is irreplaceable. The colours and textures of paintings can’t be fully appreciated through media only but the dynamic and the interaction between artists and audience can be sustained based on a long term collaboration, trust, admiration transcending obstacles of time and space, nurturing a dialogue between feelings, a vibration through a shared cultural background. Each artist puts a spin on an idea, the individual input through a personal filter makes each artwork unique, while the point of reference attracts the audience, as finding a common ground half way. This vibration, present in a gallery, is vital for appreciating the artworks, meeting the artist helps add another dimension to the art itself, the personality of the artist and the way in which that interacts with the “collector” is what brings value to artworks. People don’t just buy art but they like to have a fragment of the soul of the artist with them, looking at a painting makes a connection with oneself, through their eyes, the art gains a new life.
Through a few images taken by Alexandra Teaca, Alexandra Simion and Florin Maravela, we invite you enjoy the flavour of this show.
It is worth mentioning that all Doina’s paintings have been exhibited in our windows, all launched at our gallery and all the frames were made here, under the direct supervision of Leigh Warnick.
The show continues in our window, where Doina is constantly launching new paintings.
Doina’s latest launch is Churchill’s Chair, oil on canvas 50x40cm, is in our window with 2 paintings from Bushy Park and one from her favourite Isabella Plantation. In the window you can also see artists Mary Burtenshaw and Anthony Dyson.
Current window display at Leigh Gallery
