Ana Maria Micu

Ana Maria Micu

"Ana Maria Micu - Artist Portrait" / (c) Ana Maria Micu 2025

Biography

Ana Maria Micu (b. 1979 in Botoșani, Romania), (she/her), visual artist, of Romanian ethnical background, grew up in Romania, lives and works in Botoșani. Bachelor in Visual Arts in 2002 followed by a Master's Degree in Visual Arts in 2004, at the University of Art and Design of Cluj-Napoca and participation in a Socrates Erasmus program at the Athens School of Fine Arts. Considered a realist painter, the artist works with painting, combining elements of drawing, video, and animation, observer of latent interconnectedness of living indoor systems, examining how sustained attention constructs reality within the closed, self-regulating ecology of her own apartment, validating housing as a space of survival, granting indoor living acts the weight of historical facts, holding the uncomfortable truth that in a limited space, the maintenance of life often requires the active administration of death.

Harvest from artist balcony - (c) Ana Maria Micu 2025

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Artistic disciplines:

• Painting

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Process

Ana Maria Micu's working process employ two distinct methods for sourcing reference material: photographing specific fragments of the apartment for subsequent painterly reconstruction, and recording automated video footage of daily tasks to extract unpredictable moments while explicitly avoiding direct observation, followed by meticulously translation of the captured digital instances into realist paintings or drawings.

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Notable themes

Recurring theme in Ana Maria Micu's works is the closed ecology of dwelling, examining the domestic interior as a finite, self-regulating environment. Within this confined architecture, the ongoing demands of indoor gardening and daily living necessities, a continuous negotiation for available resources within limited spatial and energetic friction evolves, implying a critical reevaluation of care within an isolated system and forming the basis for her exploration into the ethics of active maintenance, specifically the "administration of death", manifested through necessary actions such as culling or pruning. These severe interventions are not acts of destruction, but calculated measures rigorously required to sustain the overall ecological balance and viability of the habitat.

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Works in collections and public recognition

• exhibited nationally and internationally, at art galleries.
• works in private collections.

Works included in private collections in Romania, Taiwan, Netherlands, China. Works in private collections, including Romania's "National Heritage Collection" (managed by National Museum of Contemporary Art Collection and the "Moldova" National Museum Complex Iași), the CMC Art Collection in Taiwan, and the Fontys Art Collection in the Netherlands.

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Selected exhibitions

1.Selected solo exhibitions

• 2025 - solo exhibition, The Persistence of Looking, curated by Adrian Bojenoiu, produced by ElectroPutere Gallery, hosted by Scanteia +, Bucharest, Romania
• 2024 - solo exhibition, Woman, Scaffolding, Mind Set Art Center, Taipei, Taiwan
• 2023 - solo exhibition, This Is Not an Artspace. Ana Maria Micu, curators Alina Șerban and Ștefania Ferchedău, Institute of the Present, Bucharest, Romania
• 2022 - solo exhibition, Left Hand To Distant View, curator Simona Vilău, the 4th floor of the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Bucharest, Romania
• 2021 - solo exhibition, Objects Must Be Comfortable, Mind Set Art Center, Taipei, Taiwan
• 2018 - solo exhibition, A Picture on the Wall, Mind Set Art Center, Taipei, Taiwan
• 2015 - solo exhibition, Self-portrait with Indoor Plant, Mind Set Art Center, Taipei, Taiwan
• 2012 - solo exhibition, Tender Heart, Keep Still!, C-Space Gallery, Beijing, China

2.Selected group exhibitions

• 2025 - group exhibition, Nature after Nature, curators Ileana Pintilie, Cristian Nae and Raluca Oancea, Garrison Command, Timișoara, Romania
• 2025 - group exhibition, The Tree of Life – MSAC 15th Anniversary Exhibition, Mind Set Art Center, Taipei, Taiwan
• 2025 - group exhibition, Touch Nature, curator Sabine Fellner, Lentos Kunstmuseum Linz, AU, (catalog)
• 2024 - group exhibition, Observator, curated by Florin Bobu, Delia Bulgaru, tranzit.ro/ Iași, Romania
• 2024 - group exhibition, The Twist. Failing Empires, Triumphant Provinces, curators Călin Dan and Celia Ghyka, The National Museum of Contemporary Art, Bucharest, Romania
• 2024 - group exhibition, Eternity as Attempt, (within Romanian Creative Week), curated by Marlene Herberth/KraftMade, Golia Tower, Iași, Romania
• 2024 - group exhibition, Egologia, (within Romanian Creative Week), curated by Marian Pălie, Turkish Bath, Iași, Romania
• 2024 - group exhibition, Touch Nature, curated by Sabine Fellner, Alex Radu, /SAC Bucharest, Romania
• 2023 - group exhibition, The Twist. Five Provincial Stories from an Empire, curated by Călin Dan and Celia Ghyka, Kunsthalle Bega, Timișoara, Romania, (catalog)
• 2023 - group exhibition, Ecologiile grijii și îngrijirii. Capitolul 1: Plante utile, curated by Gabriela Mateescu with Mihaela Georgescu (Botany), Valentina Iancu (Visual Arts), Eliza Yokina (Architecture), Strata Gallery, Bucharest, Romania
• 2023 - group exhibition, Threat to the Eye, curator Ada Muntean, Indecis artist-run space, Timişoara, Romania
• 2022 - group exhibition, Unlimited Visuality, curator Adrian Bojenoiu, Aparte Gallery, Iași, Romania
• 2022 - group exhibition, Flowing Light, Mind Set Art Center, Taipei, Taiwan
• 2021 - group exhibition, The Poetic Realm, Yu-Hsiu Museum of Art, Caotun, Taiwan, (catalog)
• 2021 - group exhibition, And Life Goes On: The Special Project for MSAC 10th Anniversary II, Mind Set Art Center, Taipei, Taiwan

3.Art biennales, museum retrospectives, comprehensive retrospective exhibitions, art fairs

• 2025 - Art Fairs: Frieze Seoul
• 2025 - Art Fairs: Art Basel Hong Kong
• 2025 - group exhibition, Reconfigurations, 2024 Contemporary Art Acquisition Session, the Art Museum of Iași, Romania
• 2024 - Art Fairs: Frieze Seoul
• 2023 - group exhibition, Puls 21. 2020x2022 MNAC Art Acquisitions, The National Museum of Contemporary Art, Bucharest, Romania
• 2023 - Art Fairs: Art Taipei
• 2022 - group exhibition, Puls 20. New Entries in the MNAC Collection, curated by Sandra Demetrescu and Irina Radu, Craiova Art Museum, Romania
• 2022 - Art Fairs: Art Taipei
• 2021 - group exhibition, Heartbeat 20. New entries in the MNAC Collection, curated by Călin Dan, Kunsthalle Bega, Timișoara, Romania
• 2020 - group exhibition, 12 Years After. A Survey of Romanian Art in 180 Works, The National Museum of Contemporary Art, Bucharest, Romania
  
• 2020 - Art Fairs: Taipei Dangdai
• 2020 - Art Fairs: Art Fair Phillipines
• 2019 - Art Fairs: Art Fair Phillipines
• 2018 - Art Fairs: Art Düsseldorf

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Artistic Residencies, Art Researches, Collaborations, Art Projects

• 2019 - Art Residency: Speaking About the Unknown, residency project installation opposite Shi Jin-Hua, Mind Set Art Center, Taipei, Taiwan
• 2019 - Art Residency: În Context, "Compost" edition (Romania - Iceland), Slănic-Moldova, Romania
• 2007 - Award: BP Portrait Award, National Portrait Gallery, London and on tour, at Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne and in 2008 at Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh, GB, (catalog)
• 2006 - Award: BP Portrait Award, National Portrait Gallery, London and on tour, at Aberdeen Art Gallery, Aberdeen and in 2007 at Royal West of England Academy, Bristol, GB, (catalog)
• 2016 - Art Residency: Can Serrat, El Bruc, Barcelona, Spain

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Selected works

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  Brick and mortar but... Yellow, Simona, Qargo, 2026, acrylic and acrylic inks on canvas, 150 x 200 cm., work by Ana Maria Micu (c) Ana Maria Micu 2026

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  Enclosure and... dead springs, 2025, acrylic on canvas, 66 x 110 cm., work by Ana Maria Micu (c) Ana Maria Micu 2025

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  Next occupant.... Remain calm, 2025, acrylic on linen, 87 x 155 cm., work by Ana Maria Micu (c) Ana Maria Micu 2025

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  The importance of sun... life's challenges, 2025, acrylic on linen, 87 x 135 cm., work by Ana Maria Micu (c) Ana Maria Micu 2025

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  Silence followed, 2025, acrylic on canvas, 66 x 110 cm., work by Ana Maria Micu (c) Ana Maria Micu 2025

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Exhibition views

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  View from show Left Hand To Distant View, 2022, curator Simona Vilău, The 4th floor of The National Museum of Contemporary Art, Bucharest, work by Ana Maria Micu (c) Ana Maria Micu 2022

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  View from show Soul, Air, Animal, 2025, curated by Kassandra Catrinescu, "Horia Bernea" Exhibition Hall, Ipoteşti Memorial - "Mihai Eminescu" National Center for Studies, Ipoteşti Village, Botoşani County, Romania, work by Ana Maria Micu (c) Ana Maria Micu 2025

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  View from show The Persistence of Looking, 2025, curated by Adrian Bojenoiu, produced by ElectroPutere Gallery, hosted by Scânteia +, Bucharest, Romania, work by Ana Maria Micu (c) Ana Maria Micu 2025

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  View from show Woman, Scaffolding, 2024, Mind Set Art Center, Taipei, Taiwan, work by Ana Maria Micu (c) Ana Maria Micu 2024

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  View from show Tender Heart, Keep Still!, 2012, C-Space Gallery, Beijing, China, work by Ana Maria Micu (c) Ana Maria Micu 2012

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Publications

1.Published books

NA

2.Published articles in journals & magazines, interviews

• Interview with the artist in Propagarta
• Interview with the artist in Hassium.ro online magazine

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Curating activity (Artist as curator)

NA

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Catalogues

• TOUCH NATURE, Catalogue edited by Hemma Schmutz & Sabine Fellner, published in conjunction with the group exhibition "Touch Nature", curator Sabine Fellner, 24 January - 18 May 2025, Lentos Kunstmuseum Linz, Austria, Publication Date: 14 Feb. 2025, Hardcover, 24 x 30 cm., 128 p. with 98 col., ISBN-10 : 3753307734, ISBN-13 : 978-3753307732, Published by: Walther and Franz König, Language: German/English.
• PULS 20 – New Entries in the MNAC Collection, ​Publishers: National Museum of Contemporary Art of Romania & DCV – Dr. Cantz'sche Verlagsgesellschaft, Berlin, Publication year: 2024, Editors: Călin Dan, Simona Vilău, Design: Adina Mocanu, Texts: Călin Dan, Ruxandra Demetrescu, Translations, proofreading: Ioana Raluca Flangea, Photography: Serioja Bocsok, Vlad Cîndea, Dan Vezentan (New Folder Studio), Documentation: Gabriela Popp, Simona Vilău, Prepress: Aurelian Ardeleanu, 23,5 x 28 cm, Softcover, Pages: 256 with 479 illustrations, Languages: Romanian, English, MNAC Books, 2024, ISBN: 978-606-9044-60-5, DCV, 2024, ISBN: 978-3-96912-215-0
• THE TWIST. Five Provincial Stories from an Empire, Publication year: 2024, Published by: Kunsthalle Bega, MNAC Books ISBN: 978-606-9044-62-4 Western University of Timișoara ISBN: 978-630-327-062-3, Editors: Celia Ghyka, Călin Dan, Associate editor: Sandra Demetrescu, Texts: Călin Dan & Celia Ghyka, Marius Cornea, Livia Magina, Cristian-Robert Velescu, Daciana Vuia, Smaranda Vultur, English translation: Ioana Flangea, the authors, Proof reading: Sandra Demetrescu, Photos: Vlad Cândea, Graphic Design: Lajos Ugron, DTP: Aurelian Ardeleanu, ​Printing: Master Print Super Offset, Bucharest, Languages: Romanian, English
• ​"Cealaltă față a lumii / The other face of the world", Authors: Roxana Ajder, Anca Brânzaș, Anca Bodea, Ioana Iacob, Ana Maria Micu, Mirela Moscu, Oana Năstăsache, Ioana Olăhuț, Andrea Tivadar, Introductory dialogue: Anca Bodea with Ioana Olăhuț, Critical essays: Adriana Oprea, Alexandra Chiriac, Liviana Dan, Publisher: Hassium Cultural Association, Printing: Idea Design & Print Cluj-Napoca, Design: Eugen Coșorean, Publication year: 2023, Languages: Romanian, English, Format: 235 x 165 mm, Extent: 184 pages, Illustrations: 128 full colour, ISBN: 978-973-0-39466-5
• Ana Maria Micu. Mână stângă spre priveliște depărtată / Left Hand To Distant View, Publication year: 2023, Languages: Romanian, English

Publisher: Simona Vilău, Contributions by Simona Vilău, Cover image credit: Ana Maria Micu, Serioja Bocsok, ISBN: 978-606-9044-56-8, Number of pages: 36, Number of illustrations: 26, Format: 14,8 x 21 cm, Published by the National Museum of Contemporary Art of Romania.

• Ana Maria Micu ( with essay by Simona Nastac) - catalog published in 2019 by Andre Lee / Mind Set Art Center ISBN 978-986-94868-7-3

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Press

• Wikipedia page
• Article in România Literară, by Cătălin Davidescu
• Article in Cosmin Nasui Collection and Archive
• Article in Romanian Creative Week

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Gallery Representation

Mind Set Art Center, Taipei
For further non-commercial inquiries, feel free to contact NPK

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Social Media Links

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/micu.studio/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/a.m.micu
• Website: https://www.anamariamicu.com/

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Hashtags

(artistic practices, currents, techniques, themes - applicable hashtags for this artist)

archive, built environment, environment, figurative, internal view, mimesis, organic, utopia

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Compatible and inspirational artists:

(artist-mentioned reference list)

• Félix Vallotton (as his rigorous approach to defining shape directly resonates with my current focus on observational drawing and the methodical reconstruction of the domestic interior, artist note)

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