Nicu Ilfoveanu’s MAMAЯ. На пляже series stands out for the manner in which the likewise documentary and artistic approach in these photographs of the Romanian seaside coast manages to merge multiple ways of perceiving the photographic environment, in an artistic, historical and social report.
The works are part of a wider series entitled “Enchanting Views” (2013 – 2014) presented in a memorable exhibition at the Dalles Hall, National Museum of Contemporary Art in Bucharest (2014) and featured in the publication of the same name launched in 2015, through the project curated by Alina Șerban, Sorin Istudor and Kalliopi Dimou.
The images make up an eclectic but comprehensive visual collection of the landscape and architecture of the Romanian Black Sea coast.
Nicu Ilfoveanu cites works by Massimo Vitali or Hiroshi Sugimoto, or otherwise engages in documenting the forgotten mosaics made by Jules Perahim with cultural clues about the development of tourist resorts in Romania in the 60s and 70s.
(excerpt from a larger text written by Cristina Stoenescu about Nicu Ilfoveanu’s work, soon to be present on the Romanian Contemporary Photography INFLUX site)
Nicu Ilfoveanu
Active in the field of photography, film and photo-books, Nicu Ilfoveanu holds a particular position within the Romanian contemporary art landscape. He graduated from the National University of Arts Bucharest, where he is currently teaching Photography. His work is known for the unexpected and unpredictable interplay between personal and documentary, between the sublime and the trivial, between evidence and hidden‑subjects. His recent activity includes solo shows at Posibilă Gallery, Bucharest (Phantom Inventory, 2022); Galería Mecànic, Barcelona (Electro+, 2018); Mois de la Photo du Grand Paris (Valerica Bienheureux, 2017); Uqbar Project Space, Berlin (Series. Multiples, Realisms, 2014); Arsenal Gallery, Poznan (The Mistaken Present Tense, 2013) and group shows: Kommunale Galerie, Berlin (Crossing the Same Circumstances, 2021); CIVA, Bruxelles (Enchanting Views, 2020); Cerezales Antonino y Cinia Foundation, Leon (Mesuras, 2019); Musee de Beaux Arts, Tournai (Looking Back,Thinking Further, 2019); Salonul de proiecte, Bucharest (The Factory of Facts and Other Unspoken Stories, 2016); Fotogalleriet, Oslo (Vision of a Nation, 2014); The 55th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia (Reflection Center for Suspended Histories. An Attempt, 2013); 4th Fotofestival, Mannheim Heidelberg Ludwigshafen (The Eye is a Lonely Hunter, 2011).