SABOT, Cluj-Napoca

Alexandra Zuckerman & Daniel Moldoveanu & Pepo Salazar Lacruz

Abstraction, as a conceptual tool in contemporary art, extends beyond mere non-representation to engage with broader cultural, critical, and formal concerns. The works of Alexandra Zuckerman, Daniel Moldoveanu, and Pepo Salazar Lacruz illustrate distinct approaches to abstraction, reflecting its continued relevance in contemporary artistic discourse.

 

Zuckerman’s practice exemplifies abstract pattern-making, where ornament and repetition transcend decorative function and become conceptual tools, blending abstraction, textile influences, and meticulous handcraft. Her intricate compositions, inspired by folklore and ‘cutting techniques’ used in the fashion industry to shape patterns, challenge the boundaries between decoration, design, and fine art with a deeply personal, structured approach.

 

Moldoveanu, on the other hand, engages in abstract cultural appropriation, reconfiguring cultural symbols and references through fragmentation and displacement. His work interrogates the ways in which visual and material culture are circulated, commodified, and repurposed. By abstracting recognizable motifs, he ultimately confronts notions of authenticity, authorship, and cultural identity.

 

Salazar Lacruz employs critical abstraction, using formal “reductio ad absurdum” as a means of deconstruction and critique. His work often incorporates text, industrial materials, and digital aesthetics to highlight ideological structures and contradictions. By stripping away narrative and figurative elements, he is “actively producing inconsistencies and an autonomous performativity”. Together, these artists demonstrate how abstraction operates not only as a visual strategy but also as a critical mode of engagement.

http://www.galeria-sabot.ro/index.php/2/