IN DIALOGUE WITH THE SHADOWS
The shadows that define *The Icons of Chaos* are maps of dislocation (displacement), a grammar of islands, structures of optical communication. They possess the character of a relay station, represented not only by their being geographical landfalls, but also by the ever-present architecture of sight, slightly removed from the landing places. It is this quality, this ability to radiate energy despite their apparent isolation, that has inspired my artistic work.
Observing how rocks, stones and walls are so deeply affected by marine, meteorological and human events, which constantly modify their shapes, I have perceived an energy generated by the continual movement of matter in nature. From this perception stems the project of using rocks, stone walls and pavements as quadrants onto which the shadow of a human body is projected, bringing forth anamorphic visions, shaped by the overlapping of shadow sections and the chromatic variations of stone caused by natural chemical reactions.
Shadows appear to me to be the most suitable forms because they possess contours that are at once evanescent and dense, capable of producing extraordinary effects on the natural veining of the rock. They also have the ability to measure light and tell the story of time, its presence and its passing.
To shape rocks, to bring them to life, means constructing the iconographic mythology of islands, made up of displaced landscapes that cannot be traced on an exact, literal map.
The open studio *In Dialogue with the Shadows* seeks to open its doors to the world of cultures and to dialogue between the arts, exploring the balance between chaos and order. It is a journey across cultures and identities, in which my body becomes a mirror of society and an expression of the ongoing search for balance between human beings and nature.
The shadows have also captured the attention of Romanian poet Dinu Flămând, finding a home in his poetry anthologies, translated into nine languages. These are shadows that travel across worlds, cultures and identities in a perpetual, endless movement, transcending geographical and linguistic boundaries to give shape to an open dialogue between poetry, art and memory.
