Zina Gallery is pleased to invite you to the opening of our group exhibition “Whatever is new about this show is not yet visible”, presenting artworks by Lorena Cocioni, Stol Collective (Ioana Mincu & Mara Verhoogt), Florina Coulin, Adrian Ganea, Nadja Kracunovic, Cătălina Milea and Claudia Moraru. The opening will take place on Thursday, January 23rd, between 6 and 9 PM at the gallery’s venue – Axente Sever 14A, Cluj-Napoca.

“The portrait, usually commissioned, was one of the most popular expressions in the art world — a claim to identity and a subtle exercise in status, a visual declaration that said, “I exist, and here’s the proof it matters.” We can’t escape looking at other people’s faces, and our brains are wired to see expressions in the inanimate world around us. The early, subconscious processing allows us to attribute identity, emotion, or intent to the simplest of forms. A circle, two dots, a house can look like it’s smiling at you if you look long enough. Subjected to the scrutiny of the viewer, the portraits stopped smiling a long time ago. They’ve since learned to play, engage and respond to the viewer’s gaze. Whatever is new about this show is not yet visible, invites us to navigate systems of power, validation, and self-representation.”

– excerpt from text by Daniela Custrin