written by art historian & curator Mihaela Manolache Art has served politics, monarchs, and kings since the birth of civilisation. Artistic creations showcased their political power and impressed their subjects for devotion and loyalty purposes. Impressive architectural constructions, majestic wall paintings, gold sculptures, and mosaics depict the leader’s wealth, adoration…

written by art historian & curator Mihaela Manolache The Roma community is one of the largest minorities living in Europe. Migrating here from the Indian continent 1.000 thousand ago, the Roma did not manage to find understanding and civic tolerance elsewhere. From the Kale community of Finland to the Domari…

written by art historian & curator Mihaela Manolache Art was created by people to serve people. Spanning through millennia, art under its different shapes is the oldest manifestation of human creativity, spirituality, and culture. Through these testimonials of our ancestral past, we try today to find out more about who…

written by art historian & curator Mihaela Manolache for LEVEL Street art, mural art, urban art, or graffiti are several definitions describing mainly the same thing: visual creations on walls, windows, columns, pillars, and many other corners belonging to both public and private spheres. Normally, public artistic creations are welcomed…

written by art historian & curator — Mihaela Manolache Choose any film made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and pay attention to its motion logo. While the lion roars, around his head a motto is scrolling: Ars Gratia Artis. We’ve seen it thousands of times by now but I wonder how many of…

written by art historian & curator Mihaela Manolache Go back in time and enter any of the famous Palaeolithic caves full of animal representations, finger prints, and hunting scenes. We are amazed by how prehistoric pigments and drawings survived until today so that we can witness their greatness. Imagine you…

written by art historian & curator Mihaela Manolache Philosophers and scientists have been debating since Antiquity how truthful is the life we live and if there is anything forged in it. The question arose because history as we know it might not be the right one but embellished due to…

by Mihaela Manolache One of the oldest trading routes in the world, the Silk Road is a symbol of an unstopped revolve of ideas, cultures, stories, and goods. The route spanning from Europe to China sparked the imagination of traders who were eager both to discover the world and obtain…

The invention of photography has forever changed the visual side of human existence by recording in its medium images of people, cultures, habits, foods, landscapes, and life aspects in all its colours and shapes. The beginnings of the photographic technique were troubling due to its magical power to depict people…