visual arts platform (PAV)
Bessarabia
Sorina Tomulețiu
ROMANIA
 Sorina Tomulețiu is a visual artist based in Sibiu whose works are created in mixed technique and which explore themes such as the individual in relation to the space in which he is contained (or its absence), solitude, climate change, displacement, refuge and the importance of freedom of expression. With no formal background in art, Sorina goes through a process of self-discovery through her art that often reflects contemporary events. In the artist’s most recent project, Basarabia, she aims to reclaim the cultural memory of the refugees from Basarabia that fled the soviet army in 1940, following the story of her grandmother that left White Citadel with her family.

This ongoing documentary art project is based on an event from my family’s history: my grandmother, Nina Maxim and her refuge in Romania, in 1940 from the White Citadel harbor in Bessarabia (today, Ukrainian territory). According to her, it all went down pretty fast, and her family managed to catch the last train before the invasion of the Russian soldiers. They left in a hail of stones, loading their bags and a few furniture pieces on an uncovered platform that was going to take them to Galați, where they didn’t know anyone and had no idea where to seek shelter. Hence, they managed to evade deportation in Siberia, a fate suffered by 16 members of her extended family.

Exact location: Kulturzentrum Hermannstadt
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