Ecuator Nocturn

The exhibition marks Nona Inescu’s second solo presentation in Romania, following Hands Don’t Make Magic at Sabot, Cluj-Napoca (2015). Recognized as a leading artist of her generation, Inescu is celebrated for her ethereal, multidisciplinary works that delve into the intricate nature of life in its many forms.

Inescu’s new body of work examines the delicate interplay between environmental collapse and the transformation of both human and non-human bodies. Offering a raw and contemplative perspective on ecological fragility, Ecuator Nocturn expands the artist’s ongoing exploration of the natural world to a broader, more encompassing scale. Shifting focus from individual species to entire landscapes and ecosystems, the exhibition investigates the intricate relationships between bodies and their environments.

Drawing from her ongoing sculptural series Reliquaries (2022), her solo exhibition Grey Gardens (2023), and the recent Preservers sculptures, Inescu expands her exploration of the delicate and often violent shifts that wildfires bring to ecosystems. Haunting sculptures, mixed media works, and installations articulate the duality of destruction and renewal. These works capture the persistence of hope, suggesting that even in the ashes of devastation, life holds the potential to take root once more.

The exhibition integrates a range of symbolic elements—shells, armors, reliquaries, and architectural ruins—serving as metaphors for protection, memory, and the act of preservation. Together, they speak to the fragility of ecosystems and the enduring struggle to safeguard what remains.

Through the lens of post-humanism, Ecuator Nocturn reexamines the concept of resilience, moving beyond human perspectives to highlight a universal struggle for survival that unites all life forms. Inescu invites viewers to consider the delicate balance between destruction and regeneration and to witness the possibility of rebirth in the charred remnants of a transformed landscape.