Phantasms

Welcome to Phantasms - Capturing The Essence.

In this collection of sculptures, I invite you to step into a world where the boundaries of time, memory, and the human form blur into impressionistic narratives. Each piece in this exhibition is a fragment of a larger story, a fleeting moment captured in the delicate balance between form and formlessness. My sculptures are less about precise anatomical accuracy and more about evoking the essence of a figure, a mood, or a moment in time.

The mermaid riding a fish, the swimmer poised in mid-stroke, and the man gently petting a cat—these are not merely figures; they are impressions, echoes of the past and visions of the present. The lady laughing in her bed, the decomposing sailor awaiting his ship, and the shepherd lost in the music of his flute all tell tales that transcend the literal. They exist in a space where childhood memories merge with folklore, and where the ephemeral nature of life is both celebrated and mourned.

My artistic language is rooted in impressionism, capturing the essence of a body, a silhouette, a face with spontaneous, intuitive touches. The clay often remains raw, with a coil suggesting an arm or a foot, a random lump of clay forming a head, and a simple dot transforming into an eye. These elements are not sketches but intentional artistic choices designed to encapsulate and freeze the essence of a narrative, a memory, a moment in time. The freedom and spontaneity in my approach are deliberate, allowing me to play with the material in a way that surprises and captures the essence of the story I want to tell.

Phantasms engages with the concept of time not as a linear progression but as a series of moments, fragmented and reassembled. The disintegration of the body in some of the pieces is not meant to evoke decay alone but to highlight the transient nature of existence, the beauty in impermanence. Each sculpture is a storyteller, whispering secrets about the past and hinting at futures yet to come.

This exhibition is a playground of sorts, where I experiment with the physical and symbolic fragmentation of the human form. It is a reflection on how memories are never whole but are instead collections of impressions, fleeting and often incomplete. Through my work, I explore how these fragmented memories and stories can come together to create something new, something that resonates with both personal and collective histories.

In these sculptures, you may see fragments of your own stories, your own memories and dreams. They are meant to be experienced as much with the heart as with the eyes, inviting you to pause and reflect on the ephemeral nature of our existence, the stories we tell, and the memories we hold dear.

By Cosmin Ciofirdel