Matter in motion
The human body moves, changes, vibrates, and pulses in every moment, motions that originate in our soul, heart, and brain, and manifest outwardly through the gestures and actions we perform. Within these actions, certain parts are under tension while others are relaxed, creating a sense of balance.
The same phenomenon applies to all types of matter, whether organic or inorganic, from the hardest to the softest substances, which “pulse” and transform at a rhythm imperceptible to us due to the vastness of time involved.
I imagine these inner transformations beginning deep within bodies and expanding outward, radiating energy and force, tension and torsion. These changes occur not only on a micro level but also on a larger scale, encompassing everything around us, all bodies, materials, and volumes that shift and leave behind trails of their movement.
The central volume of the sculpture represents the concept of the circle, a symbol of infinite motion. From this, outer volumes emerge, derived from the circle in the form of elliptical shapes. These are connected to the central form along their diagonals, twisting and turning to create a literal and visual balance.
Through the polishing and finishing of the edges and surfaces, I aim to highlight the natural beauty of the hand-crafted material while also emphasizing the idea of movement.
Petre-Virgiliu MOGOȘANU
Petre-Virgiliu Mogoșanu, the Craiova-born artist with apprenticeships reminiscent of Gorky’s characters, akin to the wandering Panait Istrati, and with long and fruitful working residencies in Greece and Italy, is fascinated by the restlessness of matter and seeks to eternalize not only its “transfiguration” but also its inner metamorphosis, its very core, its substance.
And he does so by masterfully carving stone, his preferred material, in order to embody the movement of invisible neutrons.
The hardness of the rock does not intimidate him; on the contrary, it stimulates his probing spirit and artisanal dexterity, in his pursuit of essence, that threshold where creation comes alive. “Matter in Motion”, the title of the piece he meticulously sculpted during the camp at Iași Airport, appears, through its undulating modeling—like the fuselage of an airbird, ready to rise into the heights.
Grigore ILISEI
The work of the university professor from Craiova, distinguished above all by the delicacy of its interplay of edges, curves, and carefully polished volumes, reopens the conversation around the aesthetics of the invisible.
Sensing the unrest within the depths of matter, the piece hints at unknown internal determinations that lead to visual experiences of torsion—bulges, folds, twists—each accent on one side inevitably balanced by symmetrical withdrawals elsewhere.
The artwork also carries a clear self-referential dimension: a reflection on art itself. One possible conclusion might echo the Barbian assertion: “Holy body and food to itself, the Saint tore from his own flesh.”
Ioan RĂDUCEA