Finding relatable behaviours and characters and situations always strike me with an oxymoronic mix of relief, sadness, and humour. A phew, I’m not the only one. An oh, boy, this world is screwed.
Physically, Heimat is a Cabinet of Wonder. A Wunderkammer. A collection of wonderful drawings, handwritten diary-like entries, old photos, postcards, official documents - all interlaced to give birth to a flawless visual performance.
Typically Belgian, this city has a special place for street art in its heart. We didn't get to hunt for specific murals, but we enjoyed some majestic casual encounters.
I first thought about writing this article 4 years ago, when I was freshly welcomed into the Visual Playground family. But I thought, as one does, that maybe my list would be perceived as patronizing or (hopefully) redundant – as it was supposed to mark mostly common sense advice.
It's been quite a while, but here they are: a new round of 5 favorite poems illustrated by 5 lovely local artists. Carina Davidoiu, Cristina Frei, Alina Marinescu, Alexandra Mocanu and Biliana Velikova received the poems via e-mail only a few days ago and sent them back to me as wonderful illustrations.
Dear (Vice) diary, azi am mers cu tramvaiul 40 ca să nu fie nevoie s-o faci tu. Am găsit această legitimație de călătorie cu poza mică a doamnei Timea pansată pe spate.
Prietenii mei super pasionați și talentați, Bianca Dumitrașcu și Sorin Trăistaru, și-au unit puterile și încep propăvăduirea sfintelor taine ale Lettering-ului și Caligrafiei printre pământeni.
Într-o cameră cu fereastră arcuită se infiltrează prietena mea, lumina călduță, complicele fidel, prezent în fiecare toamnă printre degete și coperte.
Înainte să-l cunosc pe Vali Petridean, am citit un text descriptiv (despre el) de vreo 3 ori, învârtindu-mă în jurul poveștii lui ca țăranul lui Preda în jurul girafei: așa ceva nu există!
A flower without a name is a weed; a flower with a Latin name is somehow raised to a state of dignity. If a nettle grows on your bed, label it ‟Urtica dioica,” and you will respect it; you will even loosen the soil for it, and manure it with saltpetre.”

Naftalina