Sector 1 Gallery

Extended program today @doi_joi LUCIAN POPĂILĂ Hwæt cleaves the air 02.04.2026 - 16.05.2026 The imaginative play underlying the paintings often intersects with references to Roman frescoes, one example being the transformation of medallions (phalerae) into planetary forms, where the circle—an originary geometric structure—serves as a generative base for subsequent themes. In this way, imagination—emerging from lists of titles, the primary source of Popăilă’s painting—constructs contexts grounded in the refusal of pre-established pictorial conventions, often crystallized around the question, “What should I paint?” Instead, it foregrounds an inquiry into the pictorial act itself, drawing from the latent possibilities contained within its own nucleus. — Excerpt from the curatorial text by Norbert Filep Porcelain Planet , 2023 , 22 x 22 cm, fresco in woodframe Golden Sun , 2023, 22 x 22 cm, fresco in woodframe Copper Star , 2025, 22 x 22 cm, pigment with emulsion on plywood Installation shots by @nsts_razvan Detail shots by @yap.studio

LUCIAN POPĂILĂ Hwæt cleaves the air Curated by Norbert Filep 02.04.2026 - 16.05.2026 The two drawings conclude the exhibition trajectory while also offering a schematic insight into the generation of visual ideas. Within them, one perceives a method shaped by the porosity of charcoal, operating within a chromatic range akin to that of parietal or cave imagery. This method becomes generative of new morphological pathways through which Lucian Popăilă continues to explore possibilities within his own visual field. The imaginative play underlying the paintings often intersects with citations from Roman fresco, one example being the transformation of medallions (phalerae) into planetary forms, where the circle—an originary geometric structure—serves as a generative base for subsequent themes. In this way, imagination—emerging from within the lists of titles, the primary source of Popăilă’s painting—constructs contexts grounded in the refusal of pre-established pictorial conventions, often crystallized around the question “What should I paint?” Instead, it foregrounds an inquiry into the pictorial act itself, drawing from the latent possibilities contained within its own nucleus. Wed–Sat, 14:00–19:00 / or by appointment Installation shots: @nsts_archives @nsts_razvan #lucianpopaila #norbertfilep #HwætCleavesTheAir #sector1gallery #contemporaryartwork #romaniancontemporaryart #galleryexhibition #visualartist #drawingpractice #charcoaldrawing #frescopainting #contemporarypainting #installationview

The gallery is open today, 11:00–19:00. Now on view: Lucian Popăilă — Hwæt cleaves the air 2 April – 16 May 2026 Curated by Norbert Filep We look forward to welcoming you. Wed–Sat, 14:00–19:00 / or by appointment Installation shots: @nsts_archives @nsts_razvan #lucianpopaila #norbertfilep #exhibitions #radartfair #collateralevents

Now at @rad.fair Alexandru Antik (b. 1950) Micropia, 2018, multimedia installation 2/4, lightbox, plexiglass, print, 84 x 84 x 15 cm Find us: Friday–Sunday, 12PM - 8PM GALLERIES SECTOR | FIRST FLOOR photo: @nsts_archives @nsts_razvan

Happy to take part in the 4th edition of @rad.fair , taking place from April 23–26 at Caro, Bucharest. Presented artists: Alexandru Antik (b. 1950) Arantxa Etcheverria (b. 1975) (France / Romania) Guadalupe Vilar (b. 1995) (Argentina / London) Iulian Mereuță (1943-2015) The booth brings together a concise selection of photography, multimedia installations, and works spanning painting and textile practices. Caro, Bucharest Preview, Thursday, 11AM - 8PM (by invitation) Friday–Sunday, 12PM - 8PM We look forward to welcoming you! • Alexandru Antik, Laboratory Scene, 2013, photographic work; digital photo collage and photographic print; 80 × 100 cm, framed • Arantxa Etcheverria, Prisme Gris Sur Fond Rouge, 2026 carton, papier, forex, acrylique, composite material, 41 × 41 × 6 cm • Guadalupe Vilar, Polux III & Cuerpo Abierto, 2024, 83 x 53 cm, recycled dyed textiles and cotton & embroided paper • Iulian Mereuță, Umatula's paintings #13, 1990, acrylic on wood, 27 x 27 (diamond-shaped panel)

We are pleased to announce the participation of Norbert Filep in the group exhibition „Drawing Possibilities: Using Drawing in Romania Today” curated by @perjovschidan and @liaperjovschi at 1 Mira Madrid Gallery. Centered around the medium of drawing, the exhibition brings together a diverse range of artistic approaches developed by artists from the Romanian art scene, reflecting on the expanded language and possibilities of drawing today.

Lucian Popăilă | Hwæt cleaves the air Accumulation ultimately defines the nature of the imago generated by Popăilă, functioning as a morphological exploitation of figural elements. Water, plants, planets, or even the astronaut become subjects that tend toward, or prepare, a continuous recontextualization of form, in which they coagulate into synthetic clusters of title-signs. The ongoing articulation of form operates through variation and through the condensation of the conceptual content of the title into a morphological reduction, generating ambivalent directions of reading—from title to sign and back again. ___ Curated by: Norbert Filep 02 April - 16 May 2026 From tomorrow until April 16, the gallery can be visited by appointment only. #frescopainting #contemporaryartwork #sector1gallery #lucianpopaila #bucharestexhibitions

Lucian Popăilă | Hwæt cleaves the air 02 April - 16 May 2026 Curated by: Norbert Filep ___ The dialogue between the viewer and the image emerges through a moment of delay or pause, which deepens the engagement with the painted surface. The fluidity of forms defines the artist’s practice. It is visible both within each series and across different series, where forms transform while retaining traces of earlier structures. A diagrammatic dimension can thus be identified, in which form mutates from one series to another, shaped by the pictorial processes and the specific medium used. The image results from a symbiosis between tetracromy and the particularities of techniques such as fresco, egg tempera, or charcoal drawing. This synthesis reinforces a reductive character of the images, aligning them with the structure of haiku poetry, where multiplicity is expressed through minimal means. Forms are simplified, a process supported by the speed of the pictorial act, especially in fresco. ___ Fish Head, 2019 Pigment with emulsion on panel 80 × 80 cm Diagram no. 2, 2023 Sepia on paper 255.5 × 150 cm The Great Wave (after Katsushika Hokusai), 2019 Pigment with emulsion on panel 186 × 210 cm ___ open tomorrow, from 2 PM to 7 PM. #frescopainting #exhibitions #contemporaryartwork #lucianpopaila

Opening show tomorrow | Lucian Popăilă April 2, 6.00 PM #sector1gallery #contemporaryart #bucharestevents #lucianpopaila #norbertfilep

UPCOMING SHOW Lucian Popăilă | Aerul și Cele Ce-l Taie Vernisaj: 02.04.2026; 18:00 De cele mai multe ori, spațiul ocupat de activitatea invizibilă a interacțiunilor moleculare scapă percepției optice, coagulându-se într-o transparență domoală, care permite ochiului asimilarea celor mai îndepărtate orizonturi. Însă această transparență operează printr-o morfologie ascunsă, conținută în tridimensionalitatea spațiului delimitată de coordonatele unui sistem de natură carteziană. „Volumul”, delimitat de extinderile atmosferice, este ocupat de traiectorii și constructe naturale și artificiale, marcând virgule și puncte de suspensie în continuitatea golului vizual, alterând constant arhitectura diafană a aerului prin tăieturi de geometrii complexe. Pozițiile noi generate indică inflexiuni în localizarea obiectelor. Dacă discursul fizicii clasice prezintă poziții exacte ale obiectelor, localizate în puncte specifice ale spațiului, discursul heisenbergian indică un principiu al ubicuității, care plasează această localizare într-o probabilitate continuă. Pentru Lucian Popăilă, această plasare devine elementul central al imaginii sale, amplificând, prin paradigma reducționismului, noi cartografieri ale aerului ocupat. - Norbert Filep

ON VIEW AT ART ROTTERDAM | Solo Duo NORBERT FILEP ANDREI NUȚU AURELIA MIHAI | Projections MARIA BRÎNEȚ | Sculpture Park booth C07 Norbert Filep and Andrei Nuțu propose a fresh take on the idea of a classical duo exhibition. Filep’s work—focused on drawing and a precise, structured exploration of themes such as astronomical phenomena—contrasts with Nuțu’s practice, which revives the almost-forgotten fresco technique and reinterprets it in a contemporary way. Their meeting point lies in a shared interest in rethinking existing visual languages and adapting them to the present. Special thanks to @icr.ro for their support in this participation #artrotterdam #artfairs #contemporaryartwork #paperworks frescoes

@art_rotterdam PUBLIC OPENING DAYS Friday 27 – Sunday 29 March, 11.00 – 19.00 hrs Booth C07 | Solo Duo Section with @norbertfilep and @_andreinutu_ Participation with the support of @icr.ro #andreinutu #sector1gallery #artrotterdam #artfair #norbertfile