That Cristina Popovici has garnered a strong and loyal following for her bold gestural abstractions is without doubt; her dynamic colour sense, rhythmic application and unbridled enthusiasm for the painted surface are all remarkable testament to her art practice and generous nature. Without a doubt Cristina is a considerable talent, fully and deservedly admired for her energy and passion, personally driven by her own will and mercurial nature. 

It is with great pleasure we invite you to her exhibition terra memoria at OREXART. As her new representatives in New Zealand we are delighted to be showing these exquisite paintings that we suspect are going to contribute hugely to her reputation. The range of gestures is never allowed to consume the work; instead we have beauty and consideration, calm over calamity, subtlety aligned with confidence.

For the last two years Cristina has worked solidly in her new light filled studio space in Melbourne exploring the Earth as a point of inspiration, with its “surface, sound, speed and convulsions.”  The rhythmic tensions within this exhibition are built around the enormous forces we have all witnessed over the last few months, floods, earthquakes, tsunami, cyclones.

In these new paintings we can see the elemental at work, the power of nature, the energy that we feel is palpable, the chaos and calm, the outside and the inside of the storm. Cristina is witness to that same energy and she transfers it into the work.

The challenge and beauty of the exhibition resides in its restrained palette, the presence of marks in space that allow gestures, textures and layers to breath somehow in the imposed stillness. All of these paintings will be, and should be read and seen in varying ways. That has always been the joy inherent in Cristina Popovici’s work. We welcome you to enjoy this memorable show with us.