Catinca Tabacaru

Catinca Tabacaru Gallery is thrilled to open its new season at Giulesti Galleries with two captivating solo exhibitions which bring into focus the standing of women in what is often considered opposing social and political systems: the West and the Muslim World. Ioana Sisea’s return to Romania after exhibitions in London, Berlin, and numerous Italian institutions has been highly anticipated. A rising star in the contemporary art world, Sisea is celebrated for her daring and thought-provoking work that explores cultural and societal norms. Her seemingly in-motion ceramic sculptures captivate and challenge audiences, inviting us to reflect on complex themes of identity and social constructs. She occupies the Gallery’s project space with an immersive installation that transports us into a realm of the over-sexualized, high-octane celebrity culture that defines today’s media culture. In conjunction, the Gallery’s main space presents the profound work of Najax Harun, who offers an evocative exploration of Somaliland’s female identity. Somaliland’s history is a tapestry woven with threads of colonial disruption and post-war reconstruction. British rule reinforced and intensified existing patriarchal structures by embedding stricter gender norms and excluding women from political and economic spheres. Armed with this personal history of growing up in a country still awaiting international recognition, Najax’s paintings reveal for us the secret lives of the women around her. Women, whose lives are progressing within, and parallel to, an ever-present patriarchal structure. But, also women who are acutely aware of how their existence is often misunderstood as a cultural norm; how the Western gaze, lacking in historical context or profound cultural understanding, looks upon them as powerless victims. Together, the two exhibitions paint a representative portrait of Catinca Tabacaru Gallery’s identity as a cultural creator, community, and dynamic platform for artists. It begs provocative questions like what is the difference in the status of women in conservative societies that “covers” them, versus in liberal societies that undresses them? Regardless of where one might stand on this issue, such proposals certainly promise a rich and fruitful international dialogue.