WIN Gallery: How did the idea for the “Wood, Cloth and Word” project come to life?

Daniela Apostol: I feel very close to things related to identity. I always have. I feel close to the world of the village even though I was born in Bucharest. I feel comfortable there. The rural space is very intimate, harmonious. When I arrive in a village, I suddenly become aware of things arranged by people exactly as they were passed down by their ancestors. There is a cycle so familiar and yet never fully experienced. Maybe in another life I was a village woman. I’d like to think a good one.
Gorj, throughout this journey, was a truly generous and inviting place for us. A rich territory for research, not only because of the beauty of its villages, but also because of the density of stories, traces, gestures, people, and remnants of a time still struggling to breathe. At fi rst, we only wanted to create video materials—documentaries that would speak about things specifi c to the rural world, especially about depopulated communities. That’s how it all began. But after spending much of the summer in these places, after meeting the people, after seeing abandoned houses and listening to their silence, and especially after working in workshops with traditional craftsmen, something came together naturally. Without forcing, without setting a concept in advance, the exhibition simply emerged. It asked to exist, I could say. It took shape from observations, emotions, gestures, dialogues, and the way the village welcomed us.
The project itself formed in the same natural way, as if it had always been there and simply needed to be brought to light. It is a kind of personal unrest. It started from a feeling diffi cult to put into words: a duty, a respect, perhaps even a form of gratitude I feel toward our ancestors—for everything they left behind and that still reaches us. It was, I think, my way, our way of saying: “We do not forget.”

The opening of the exhibition ”Wood, Canvas, and Word”

WIN Gallery: What inspired you to bring forward the connection between traditional heritage and contemporary art?

Daniela Apostol: Traditional heritage and contemporary art represent, for me, the ideal way to speak to young people about aspects of identity that, at fi rst glance, might seem unattractive or outdated. Young people, in most cases, want to distance themselves completely from anything related to the village or rural life—perhaps because they do not identify with it, because these places do not offer visible opportunities for the future, or because everything seems frozen there, too quiet compared to the fast pace of the online world and the drama of the fi lms they consume. I’m not sure. One thing is clear: they do not want to be identifi ed with such worlds, although paradoxically, a part of them comes from there.

WIN Gallery: What role does the city of Târgu Jiu play in the symbolic construction of the exhibition?

Daniela Apostol: Târgu Jiu is a key pillar—both as the host city of the exhibition, providing us with the cultural hub “Pavilion Art 360”, a generous and attractive space, and as a connector to the rural world through Deputy Mayor Adrian Tudor and ethnographer Albinel Firescu. They opened our access to communities, to their stories, and to local public institutions. Without this support network, the process would have been much more diffi cult. Here, everything unfolded naturally.

WIN Gallery: What was the most emotional moment during the preparation of the project?

Daniela Apostol: The most overwhelming moment for me was the encounter with Runcurel, the village depopulated due to mining operations. All places that bear recent human traces are, for me, emotionally charged to the point of silence. They mute me. To witness a place becoming mute—a place where the human imprint is replaced by the wildness of nature or by technological intervention—is, for me, a responsibility in how I recount what I’ve seen. A responsibility, but also a sadness diffi cult to defi ne. A grief I still carry even now, as I speak about it.

WIN Gallery: How would you describe, in a few words, the atmosphere that the exhibition conveys to the public?

Daniela Apostol: Like a story. That’s how I felt from the fi rst day. When you enter an unfamiliar space and the fi rst things you see are wood and pottery—the earth’s gifts for the needs of the human being—two vital presences in the life of the Romanian village, you immediately understand what kind of “land” you’ve stepped into. Like a story. And the most beautiful thing was seeing how visitors of all ages felt it. They were surprised, moved, touched by something that cannot be rationally explained. They told me, with childlike joy: “We have these woven carpets at home,” “My grandmother had a towel just like this,” “We still have blouses like those in the attic.” For the fi rst time, it seemed, they didn’t look at traditional objects as something old or distant, but with pride—as a sign that what they inherited is valuable, alive, worthy of being passed on. It was that big, good emotion when you recognize your home in what you see—a home that does not necessarily belong to one particular house, but to the way you feel the world.

WIN Gallery: What does intangible heritage mean to you?

Daniela Apostol: It means compass. It means a set of characteristics. Just as our passports list physical details—features, eye color, height—intangible heritage tells things about us, about each community, about a people. It means roots, the energy that connects you to those before you, to your grandparents, to the village where you may never have lived, but which you carry in memory through their stories.
Without realizing it, intangible heritage lives through us. When you cook something “as at home,” when you hum a verse you heard growing up, when you tell a story about spirits, or when you follow a custom. It is in the small gestures that are part of you without your noticing.

WIN Gallery: How can intangible heritage remain alive and relevant for today’s youth?

Daniela Apostol: By telling children how beautiful they are when they carry something from their parents and grandparents—whether through a gesture, a physical trait, or a way of seeing the world. And also how beautiful their grandparents are, with everything they bring. Immaterial heritage is not just tradition and custom. It’s the way you speak, the way you treat people, how you say “please,” how you open the gate for a guest. These are small details that defi ne you—signs that you are neither the fi rst nor the last to carry forward a way of life. Heritage must be adapted, reinterpreted, and embraced by every generation. And the previous generation must accept and encourage this transformation. Not fear it.

WIN Gallery: In what way does “word” complete “wood” and “cloth” within the exhibition?

Daniela Apostol: The word, the spoken language, is what gives meaning and life to the other two. If wood carries structure and cloth preserves craftsmanship, the word keeps memory, emotion, and purpose alive. It contextualizes, explains, and continues tradition where material form becomes silent. The word links generations, humanizes objects, and preserves what cannot fi t on a shelf. Thus, the three components are not just adjacent elements—they form an entire world called the village hearth.

WIN Gallery: Do you believe that revaluing traditional objects can become a form of cultural resistance?

Daniela Apostol: Absolutely. Through acknowledgement. Refusing forgetfulness. Preserving and using objects and customs means preserving memory. It means assuming identity codes. And this can be done in every home, but also through education. When traditional objects re-enter public space (exhibitions, workshops, schools, living museums), they educate. They raise questions. They counterbalance the loss of meaning and reconnect younger generations with their roots.
Yes, revaluing traditional objects becomes a form of cultural resistance because it restores meaning, protects identity, rejects uniformity, and keeps collective memory alive. Heritage creates coherence and solidarity. It is a shared language that unites people of the same place, even if they have different ages, occupations, or beliefs. It preserves collective memory, but also skills, rituals, and ways of solving problems. Moreover, it is an important pillar in local development and cultural tourism—the kind of recreation more and more people seek. Why? Because, at its core, any search is a return to one’s own identity. Cultural tourism is not about beautiful photos. It is about recognition. Belonging. Rediscovery.

WIN Gallery: How does Daniela Apostol, the person, relate to old objects and the traditional world?

Daniela Apostol: I relate to old objects with an instinctive delicacy—almost as if they breathe. I feel that each one has seen more than I have, that it has passed through hands with different rhythms, needs, joys. I like approaching such objects with respect and care, as if they were silent witnesses of other lives. The traditional world is not a décor for me, but a natural extension of a memory that accompanies me. I settle into it like a story I already know, where I feel at home without ever having lived there. Perhaps because, deep down, the traditional world demands honesty and essence. And I return to it whenever I need to remember who I am.

WIN Gallery: How would you describe the moment of acquiring the fi rst artwork in your collection?

Daniela Apostol: It was an unexpectedly solemn moment for me—almost initiatory. I felt like I was stepping into a world that moves me deeply, yet one I do not fully master. It was as if someone entrusted me with a piece of their understanding of reality, and I had to promise to keep it safe. The fi rst artwork came with a kind of inner vibration: I knew it was “mine” not because I sought it out, but because it recognized me. I felt then that I had entered into a dialogue just beginning—a dialogue between viewer, artist, and world.

WIN Gallery: What attracted you to Daniel Tănase’s graphic work, the one you acquired from WIN Gallery?

Daniela Apostol: I was drawn to its intense quietness. Daniel Tănase’s graphic art has a paradox I sensed immediately: it is austere and abundant at the same time. In that particular work, I felt a fi neness of observation—a way of breathing through lines, like a visual meditation. There was something alive in that simplicity. I was moved by how the artwork spoke without raising its voice, how it held the tension between fragility and strength. It felt like a piece that matched my way of seeing the world: attentive, yet reserved enough to leave room for mystery.

Don Quixote I – Valentin Tănase, the artwork acquired by Daniela Apostol

WIN Gallery: What does the act of collecting mean to you? Is it more a form of emotion, continuity, or dialogue with the artists?

Daniela Apostol: For me, collecting is, above all, a form of emotion. If a work does not stir something deep within me, if it does not awaken a vibration, I do not feel the need to bring it into my life. But it is also continuity, without a doubt. Each object, each artwork becomes part of a larger story—a story about how I understand the world and how it transforms through me. And, of course, it is a dialogue. Between me and the artists, between past and present, between tradition and personal interpretation.
Collecting is a way of saying: “This is who I am now. This is how I feel. This is how I see the world.”

WIN Gallery: Are there other contemporary Romanian artists who have sparked your interest or whom you might include in a future personal collection?

Daniela Apostol: Yes, many. I love the energy of younger generations, their courage to experiment. There are artists who manage to speak about intimate, identity-based, or social themes with great sensitivity and rigor. I am drawn to those who know how to build a coherent universe, regardless of technique, and who embrace a personal language. I wouldn’t want to name names yet—perhaps because the relationship with a work develops organically, unexpectedly, like encounters that change the course of a day.
But I can say that I am attentive to the contemporary scene and to the way it breathes. There are many artists I could see in a future collection, when we “recognize” one another.

WIN Gallery: How do you view the balance between tradition and innovation in current Romanian art?

Daniela Apostol: I see it as a delicate dance. Tradition offers the root; innovation offers the direction. When the two meet naturally, without forcing, Romanian art gains a strong, authentic identity. I fi nd it extraordinary when artists manage to see tradition not as an obligation but as a resource—a fertile space for inspiration, a reservoir of symbols and images that can become contemporary through reinterpretation.
Tradition should not be viewed as a closed museum, and innovation should not mean a rupture from everything that came before. I believe in art that allows itself to be both anchored and free. That’s where balance emerges.

WIN Gallery: How important is the synergy between independent institutions like Docuart and contemporary gallery spaces?

Daniela Apostol: Such alliances are vital. They keep culture in motion. Without this complementarity, initiatives remain fragmented. Together, however, they become vibrant, articulated, with real impact. Through the collaboration between WIN Gallery and Docuart, this was achieved: an idea born in the fi eld was transformed into a complete, rounded artistic and community endeavor.