In the new WIN Gallery collection, the artist Sofia Ovejanu also makes her debut with them, recognized nationally and internationally, and holding a PhD in visual arts. Recipient of the Parisian distinction Toile d’or de l’année in 2013 and winner of the AWS Silver award at the Art Walk Street festival in 2017, Sofia Ovejanu stands out through a spatial poetics that oscillates between absurdity and dreaming. The works in the Mister în floare collection represent dreamlike fragments and metaphorical allusions, the expressive collages being proof not only of her technical skill but also of a consciously pursued psychological theme. 

Sofia Ovejanu explores the subconscious by resorting to absurdity, most often finding, through unexpected associations, a pathway to alternative realities she discovers while simultaneously constructing them. These journeys highlight contrasts between the real and the imaginary, the absurd and the coherent, or between loneliness and connection, these tense aspects representing fertile ground for the viewers of her works. 

The Space of the Absurd as a Revolt Against Norms  

When looking at Sofia Ovejeanu's paintings, a first reaction one might have is one of questioning. In Out of the Real Space, the juxtaposition of contrasting materials and the subtle deformation of the human body frame Sofia's work within contemporary art, yet with a tone slightly defiant toward classical conventions. Thematically, we have a nude, but the alterations and the final composition bring out, beyond the theme, a provocative stance: on one hand through her position in front of the red line, leaning on it with her elbow; on the other hand through the relaxed, open posture facing the viewer. 

The absence of facial features anonymizes the illustrated body, and the interplay between constraint and release rather emphasizes the nuance of a possible escape. The absurd space is shaped through compositional cut-outs: the layers creating the different background elements (the foreground hill, the trees, the possibly aquatic blue area) overlapping heterogeneously. The nude appears to rise from the water, a discreet allusion to The Birth of Venus by Botticelli, a reminiscence of the goddess of beauty. 

Dreaming as a Space of Refuge and Introspection 

If we accept the dream as an "organized absurdity," considering it manages to unite, in a coherent structure, seemingly incoherent and irrational elements, then the dream becomes another space that Sofia Ovejanu configures along the coordinates of refuge and introspection. In the painting Vis acvatic, this is visible through the surrealist layering of elements in the composition. The fish, the chair, and the unraveling chessboard are the main elements, the artistic vision having clearly dreamlike traits. By naturally and seamlessly blurring the boundaries between dream and reality, the space depicted this time becomes not just a form of escape but also one of deep self-exploration. 

Visually, Sofia Ovejeanu's fish are always slightly twisted, never in a state of stillness, which enhances the sensation of floating; full immersion being impossible in the absence of an explicit depiction of the aquatic environment. Even so, it seems the artist creates these frames directly within the natural habitat of the fish, the elements specific to the human realm (sofas, the chair) emphasizing the dreamlike character. 

Solitude as a Form of Personal Expression 

The two spaces – that of the absurd and that of dreaming – share another element that the artist presents to us in visual form: solitude. This feeling appears in her paintings as an implicit personal expression, both the nude and the fish-themed paintings having as sub-theme the feeling of isolation or possible alienation. The state depicted is, however, a condition of an existential state, which emphasizes rediscovery through minimal compositions and discreet symbolism. In Sofia Ovejeanu's works, solitude thus becomes a privileged space for inner reflection, in which isolation facilitates a more sincere communication with the deeper self. 

In the painting suggestively titled Solitudine, we find a composition dominated by fluid forms and subtle colors, which seem to float in an undefined space, lacking clear reference points. The absence of firm contours and obvious figurative elements contributes to accentuating the feeling of isolation and alienation. The red fruit, placed solitarily in the lower part of the composition, becomes the point of contrast and subtly emphasizes the idea of existential solitude. Thus, Solitudine becomes the visual expression of the idea that isolation can also be seen as a space conducive to self-knowledge, a necessary and beneficial moment in the search for inner balance. 

Sofia Ovejeanu’s complex artistic discourse playfully addresses the themes she explores. Through the balance between absurdity and dreaming and through chromatic coherence, the artist uses her artistic language as a method for exploring inner spaces. Even though she also discusses solitude or states of isolation, she sees these moments as opportunities for inner reflection and offers us a creative, perhaps even optimistic, perspective for understanding the world and ourselves. 

Ph.D. Researcher Andrei FĂȘIE