The Entropic Abstract of Bucharest-based artist Mirela Iordache
Mirela Iordache, Imaginary Boundary, 120 X 200 cm. Courtesy of the Artist
Between December 5 and 18, the ‘Painting’ group show took place at the Centre for Visual Arts in Bucharest, featuring eight local artists with different experiences and styles: Cătălina Mehedinți, Cristina Taraş, Dagmar Oprea, Dragoş Lupu, Evangelia Taka, Mirela Iordache, Petronela Berlea, Vera Torachidis. For Bucharest-based Mirela Iordache this is one of the many projects she has been part of this year, as she is indeed a prolific contemporary painter, her work being displayed in numerous group and solo exhibition both locally and internationally.
Mirela Iordache, Fingerprints, diptych 70 X 30 cm. Courtesy of the Artist
Born in 1978, Mirela Iordache holds a BA in Visual Arts and Restoration of Cultural Heritage from the University of Bucharest, as well as a MA in Painting from the University of Arts in Bucharest and she also is a member of UAP (Romanian Artists’ Association).
The first time I encountered her abstract work was back in 2009 in Bucharest at Sultana Gallery, where her solo show titled ‘Underground’ was mounted. Her artistic practice evolved and changed since then and it consists now of a stylistic mixture of Neo-expressionism, Abstract Expressionism, and Photorealism. Furthermore, while approaching both abstract and figurative genres, she resorts to diverse engraving techniques (metal, drypoint, and lino), collage and painting, the latter being more prevalent in her body of work.
Mirela Iordache, The Illusion of a Perfect Shape No.2, 30 X 30 cm. Courtesy of the Artist
The artist has had a busy year that's seen her work with interesting artists and curators. Hence, at the beginning of 2017 (between February 16 and March 10) she had a solo show at Carol Galleries in Bucharest curated by Raluca Băloiu and titled ‘Entropomorfe’, which brought together pieces from the series of the same name that the artist initiated in 2014. ‘Entropomorph’ is a term coined by Mirela Iordache to convey the shape of entropy (such as she interprets the term in its complexity) and describe the results of her experiments with chemicals (e.g. acrylic colors, alcohol, bitumen, bleach, caustic soda, chemical dyes, inks, solvents or wood stains) on canvas.
Solo Show Mirela Iordache, Courtesy of the Artist
Solo Show Mirela Iordache, Courtesy of the Artist
Starting with May this year she had exhibited in the following group shows: ‘Rétrospective de peinture contemporaine roumaine Paris – Bucarest’ in Paris, ‘În Oglindă – Contrast’ in Bucharest and Ploiești, ‘3D Hotel (The third)’ in Regensburg, "Contemporary Art Exhibition: Romania/Cyprus/Greece" in Bucharest, ‘Prezentul: trecut și viitor’ (eng. Present: past and future) in Timișoara, and ‘Pictura’ in Bucharest.
In parallel she also participated in the International Biennial of Painting of Chișinău between May 18 and June 25 and the residency ‘Prezentul: trecut și viitor’ (eng. Present: past and future) in Buziaș between May 30 and June 5.
Mirela Iordache, Frozen, 40 X 33 cm. Courtesy of the Artist
What is unique about her works - in the context of the recent revival of painting – is the amazing process through which they are obtained, the natural phenomenon that leads to this ‘Entropic Abstract’, as the artist ingeniously calls her personal style. Whether you are a painting enthusiast or not, Mirela Iordache surely is one of those artists to keep on your radar.
Text and photos by Ana-Daniela Sultana
Ana-Daniela Sultana is a freelance curator born in Bucharest in the last decade of Communism, currently living and working in Bucharest and Vienna. She holds a MA in ecm - educating/curating/managing from the University of Applied Arts Vienna and is the co-founder of the MODELiER venue in Bucharest and the [ˈfæbrɪk] transdisciplinary organization in Vienna. She is collaborating with creative communities and cultural institutions; her aim is to promote new or lesser known artists and their endeavors.
E-Mail: dana.sultana@modelier.ro
