16/07/2026
Exhibition views | "Searching for something I lost" curated by Molnos Diana featuring works by Lavinia Maria Oniciuc during is on view until the end of July.
📸 Photo credits: Andrei Vaida
„We rarely want to go back in time. To relive certain experiences, to see loved ones again, to change certain decisions, or to take a closer look at the places that once surrounded us. Behind this desire, in fact, lies the need to return to a familiar space, to a place where we felt safe and full of hope. A place of balance, an ideal place. In reality, however, going back is not possible. We can only take refuge in memories or in an imaginary space.
Nostalgia thus becomes the leitmotif of the works created by the artist Lavinia Maria Oniciuc. Coming from the Greek nostos (return) and algos (longing, pain), the term essentially describes a response to the awareness of impermanence, to the fear of change, to the fear of the ephemeral. The atmosphere of her works does not evoke a specific place, but rather conjures up the very nostalgic feeling itself The paintings bring to the forefront the ideal space to which we long to return or which we wish to find again.
The balance construced in the artist's compositions is outlined by the dominant presence of the color green, a color that is born from the tension between two chromatic extremes: yellow and blue. This symbolizes, in fact, reality and the ideal, two opposing states that the artist explores.
The limited chromatic palette contributes to the emotional intensity of the works. The dark tones create a depressing, sad, and introspective atmosphere, while the subtle transitions to brighter areas or vibrant chromatic accents suggest the desire for transformation, change, anchoring in reality, and fear of the unknown. The chromatic oscillation is not just a formal choice but reflects the process of a search.“ (excerpt from the curatorial text)
