2026
The exhibition proposes joy as a state of transition from matter to spirit, from object to play, from the fragile toward the cosmos, joy as expansion, as a link between micro and macro, between the intimate gesture and the vastness of the universe.
The works bring together ceramic, sculptural, and pictorial forms that activate a playful relationship with reality. The materials, from porcelain to chamotte and wood, lose their functional rigidity and become carriers of meaning, rhythm, and wonder. Objects become beings, materials play, and we are challenged to cross the threshold of wonder toward innocence and even expansion. Innocence is a form of joy with amazement, curiosity, rediscovery; expansion, a state of merging, dissolution, rediscovery.
The viewer is invited to traverse these portals through experience, to let themselves be touched by a calm, curious, living joy, which does not ask to be understood, but lived, in a space of encounter and openness.
Artiști
Ilinca Aldea
Aldea Ilinca is a second-year master’s student specializing in ceramics at the Faculty of Visual Arts and Design, George Enescu University of Iaşi. Her works explore the realm of fantasy, developing a passion for creating beings and imaginary creatures. Her universe takes shape both through ceramic modeling and graphic drawing techniques. The attention to detail highlights the student’s sensitivity and gives the represented being authenticity and personality.
Tatiana Doboș
Tatiana Dobos is a ceramic artist originally from the Republic of Moldova and currently based in the west of Ireland, where she works in her small studio in Galway, creating expressive works deeply anchored in emotion. As The Irish Times noted, Tatiana “likes to dramatize human emotions in her porcelain and stoneware pieces, which highlight the interplay between feelings, shapes, and colors.” Her practice explores the connection between human experience and form, rooted in a profound fascination for shaping raw clay into meaningful forms. Tatiana believes that emotions manifest visually: balance and fulfillment take shape in smooth, circular forms, while inner conflict and negative experiences are expressed through sharper, angular structures. Her works seek to materialize the mechanisms of inner struggles, while also exploring the anatomy of what remains after them.
In 2011, she established her own studio and brand, DOBOSCERAMICS, marking the beginning of an independent artistic journey dedicated to exploring ceramics as a form of self-knowledge and authentic expression.
Tatiana was featured in Generation 20, the photography and interview series by Julia Monard dedicated to emerging artists in Galway, where she spoke about her creative process and the art of living in the present moment. She participated in Clay Journeys, part of the Galway 2020 – European Capital of Culture program, collaborating on community projects that explored themes such as Landscape, Language, and Migration. Her work was also unveiled at the MetLife headquarters in the city center as part of the DesignWorks project, an experience that transformed her approach from a purely intuitive one to one that is more structured and process-oriented.
In 2022, she represented Ireland as a participant and exhibitor at the Argillà International Ceramics Festival in Faenza, Italy. In 2023, she was honored with the Ceramics Ireland Professional Practice Award. Tatiana has also served as an artistic project facilitator and exhibition coordinator for “Ceramics in Nature,” part of the That’s Life program—an arts and personal development initiative by the Brothers of Charity Services in Galway—working closely with people with disabilities to support creative expression and inclusion.
Finbar McHugh
An Irish multidisciplinary artist and an intuitive of energy, Finbar McHugh is based in Galway. His career of over two decades has evolved from graffiti culture to contemporary abstract art. His works explore themes such as human connection, energy, and the transformative power of creativity, manifesting through public installations, in private collections, and international cultural collaborations. Finbar has participated in notable events such as the Silk Road Artist Rendezvous, held at a UNESCO site in Liangzhou, China, and the Human Symposium in Romania. His artistic practice continues to develop, inviting the public to explore the mysteries of life and to connect with the depth of the human experience.
Bianca Mihalache
She is a graduate of the High School of Arts in Cluj-Napoca, but for her undergraduate studies, she turned toward a different field.
She then returned to Piatra Neamț, the city where she was born, a moment in which she felt something carrying her back to the beginning, insistently demanding that she live “a life at the height of childhood dreams.” Art never disappeared from her path—she returned to practicing it and, for four years, has been manifesting joy and curiosity in a direction explored on her own, thus discovering the potential of the fusion between ceramics and design.
She loves to express herself through symbols and wordplay, using color, shape, texture, and diverse references in their rendering, often seeking unevoked beauty: the everyday, the slightly bizarre. She devotes attention and interest to modest and expectant aesthetics, often overlooked when we consider what exactly is worth contemplating.
Diana Rău
Diana Rău (b. 1984, Bacău) graduate of the Sculpture department at the ‘George Enescu’ University of Arts in Iași. Currently, she expresses herself predominantly through sculptural and ceramic works. She builds her practice around the body, as a territory of inner experiences. Working with clay is not just technique, but also an exercise in reconnection, a form of healing through matter and time. In the creative process, she frequently returns to the theme of motherhood and femininity, as a symbol of protection, fragility, and the force that sustains life.
Anca Vintilă Dragu
She studied Ceramics at the Bucharest National University of Arts (UNArte), obtaining her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Decorative Arts in 2018. She has exhibited in numerous national and international exhibitions and was part of the Project Network at the Guldagergaard International Ceramic Research Center in 2019, as well as the Blanc de Chine international residency in Fujian, China, in 2024.
She has been a member of the Romanian Union of Visual Artists in Bucharest since 2017. She is passionate about design and owns a brand specialized in porcelain design called Una ca Luna – one of a kind.
She works using the technique of porcelain collage or stoneware modeling, creating series of works for each idea or concept with an intuitive approach. Her artistic practice also includes ceramic painting, the mixing of materials, and collaborations on installation works alongside other artists in mixed media such as music and video.
Solo Exhibitions: Fluid Boundaries (2025), #Anthropociberneticus, Galateea Contemporary Art, Bucharest (2019), The Ideational Egg, Foișor Gallery, Brâncovenesc Palaces Cultural Center, Bucharest (2017), The Red Thread, Ghețărie Gallery, Brâncovenesc Palaces Cultural Center, Bucharest (2016).
Group exhibitions and biennials in Spain, Belgium, China, Italy, Austria, Germany, Finland, Poland, Denmark, Portugal, and Romania.
Website: www.ancavintiladragu.com
www.unacaluna.ro
Instagram: ancavintiladragu
Contact: +40723170677
unacaluna1@gmail.com
Ionela-Sandrina Mihuleac
Ionela-Sandrina Mihuleac is a visual artist and curator with over 30 years of experience in painting, ceramics, installations, and interdisciplinary projects. She studied at the University of Art and Design in Iași and Cluj-Napoca – Bachelor’s/Master’s degree – and has been a member of the Romanian Fine Artists’ Union (U.A.P.) since 1997.
Her birthplace, Cucuteni, marks her life and career in the most beautiful way!
She has organized and coordinated numerous projects and creative camps, including the “HUMAn” International Symposium of Visual Arts, and created the “Pământ care cântă” (Singing Earth) Artistic Center in Cucuteni. Founder of “Sandrina Art,” a residency dedicated to visual and interdisciplinary artists, she offers creative space, accommodation, mentorship, and presentation opportunities.
Curator
Ionela-Sandrina Mihuleac
Ionela-Sandrina Mihuleac is a visual artist and curator with over 30 years of experience in painting, ceramics, installations, and interdisciplinary projects. She studied at the University of Art and Design in Iași and Cluj-Napoca – Bachelor’s/Master’s degree – and has been a member of the Romanian Fine Artists’ Union (U.A.P.) since 1997.
Her birthplace, Cucuteni, marks her life and career in the most beautiful way!
She has organized and coordinated numerous projects and creative camps, including the “HUMAn” International Symposium of Visual Arts, and created the “Pământ care cântă” (Singing Earth) Artistic Center in Cucuteni. Founder of “Sandrina Art,” a residency dedicated to visual and interdisciplinary artists, she offers creative space, accommodation, mentorship, and presentation opportunities.