Romania makes its debut at BASE in Istanbul

Thirteen emerging Romanian artists are representing Romania at the ninth edition of BASE, one of Turkey’s most important contemporary art exhibitions, which is taking place in Istanbul from November 26 to 30.

Albert Kaan, Ana Gurduza, Anca Enache, Dan-Florin Dumănoiu, Ioana Aron, Ioana Miruna Morțe, Lăcră Grozăvescu, Maria Brîneț, Márk-Norbert Nebert, Mirela Cerbu, Norica-Ioana Popescu, Răzvan Năstase, and Sebastian Iacob were selected from a large number of candidates.

The selected artists will have the opportunity to present their work alongside more than 150 emerging Turkish artists.

BASE, one of the most important exhibitions dedicated to recent art school graduates and emerging artists, will take place again this year under the auspices of Trendyol Art.

Romania, guest country

Entitled “Guest Country: An Incursion into Contemporary Art in Romania,” the exhibition captures the transformation of the contemporary Romanian art scene from the perspective of young artists, who bring a fresh vision to the relationship between personal experience and collective memory. The works of the 13 Romanian artists participating in BASE 2025 explore current themes such as identity, memory, belonging, human nature, and the transformation of perception in the digital age through a variety of forms of expression, including painting, sculpture, ceramics, installations, photography, and video performance.

BASE 2025, hosted at The Ritz-Carlton Residences in Istanbul, is an international platform that promotes emerging artists and encourages cultural exchanges between different geographical areas. Romania’s presence as a guest country is a first.

From painting to video performance and ceramics

Dan-Florin Dumănoiu exhibits acrylic paintings that explore the relationship between body, landscape, and perception. Ioana Miruna Morțe presents “Prize Catharsis,” a video performance that questions performative pressure, perfectionism, and meritocratic standards. Sebastian Iacob brings to Istanbul a series of acrylic works such as “Leopard,” “Crocodile,” “White zebra, black zebra,” along with the monumental installation “Circus,” which questions the relationship between humans and animals.

Ana Gurduza presents a series of ink drawings and ceramic pieces that function as visual meditations on balance, the passage of time, and transformation. Maria Brîneț exhibits sculptures and installations that reinterpret personal and collective archives, exploring how memory, trauma, and intergenerational inheritance can be transformed into visual language, while Norica-Ioana Popescu focuses on personal experience through self-portraits in tempera and watercolor, which capture the emotional connection with pets.

Márk-Norbert Nebert proposes, through his conceptual drawings on paper, a visual dialogue about the tension between the individual and the collective, dependence and impossible choices, while Anca Enache uses photography to explore the intimate connection between humans and nature and the ways in which memory and identity are linked to natural spaces. Răzvan Năstase creates mixed media works on wooden panels, reflecting on sensory perception and the tension between the desire to feel and the experience of numbness. Albert Kaan presents works that explore the dynamics of space and the relationship between object, body, and viewer.

Ioana Aron, known for her interventions on canvas and large-scale installations, investigates processes of transformation, bodily memory, and emotional expression, while Mirela Cerbu proposes modular installations that capture the fragility of nature and the way the environment reacts to human actions. Lăcră Grozăvescu completes the selection with diverse works that address themes related to identity, memory, belonging, and the transformation of perception in the digital age, through a variety of forms of visual expression.