A world of contrasts at Gheorghe Lisita's exhibition

Two different dimensions, the bright colors associated with the Roma people and the sacred serenity of the monks, are creating a unique contrasting atmosphere at the personal exhibition of plastic artist Gheorghe Lisita, on display in the European Hall of the OSCE Mission in Chisinau. The artist has been painting Roma and monks for four years now, reflecting on canvas a world full of agitation, songs and colors, on one hand, and a world where praying is water and ether, on the other. To better understand the culture and the way of life of the Roma, Gheorghe Lisita traveled to Sibiu, Romania, and toured other Roma locations, sharing a roof with them. “It was very nice, but also very difficult, because you cannot get into their world just like that, they won't accept you. I started to follow them from a distance, trying to earn their trust. In a week, I was accepted into their family”, recounts Gheorghe Lisita. The artist says that the Roma, while seemingly carefree, are rather precautions and skeptical. In order to paint monks, Gheorghe spent some time living in monasteries. “The Roma and the monks are two themes which I cannot abandon. I see a contrast in them, a contrast between the worldly and otherworldly”. Arts professor Varvara Buzila, Gheorghe's mentor, says that one can see in the artist's paintings a dialogue between very different characters who look at the world differently. “The world view of a monk is totally different from that of a Roma person. But between them there is a whole universe, they sit at two polarities of this world. What Gheorghe Lisita does here is a color experiment. For a plastic artist this is a very big challenge”. Director Silviu Fusu described the exhibition as “striking”. “The courage of this young man impressed me greatly and I can say that, finally, Moldova has returned to a serious painting tradition in the spirit of Grigorescu, Grecu, Rusu-Ciobanu. One can see that this man has been a good learner, because he embraced many good things from the great classics”. Gheorghe Lisita is 28 years old and was born in the village of Suhuluceni, Telenesti. Gheorghe graduated from the National Plastic Arts School “Alexandru Plamadeala” (2001) and the Arts Academy in Chisinau (2006). He debuted at the age of 17 and has since held many personal exhibitions.