CATAIVANCOV

C A T A, by his short name, is a Romanian-born artist, who comes from a family with a long tradition in wood carving. The experience of working in wood developed his artistic sense and he later went on to study in London at City & Guilds of London Art School, a place where traditional stone and wood carving is mixed with conservation studies and contemporary Fine Art. Sculpture became his favourite area and he took his degree in Sculpture in 2015 with an exhibition and dissertation exploring institutional critique of museums and the soft playground of artefacts display and the re-appropriation of history in contemporary culture. This was the start of his on-going project called Genetrix Foundation, a fictional museum that comes from a long tradition where artists mingled and interfered with museums display and curation.

As artist and curator, Cata collaborated with his art teachers in their art shows, straightening his exhibition curating skills. He exhibited in several group shows during his studies and later became involved in an artist-led project space called Pipeline Projects, that aimed to encourage young London-based artists to produce and exhibit their work. The space became an art studio, where his art practice continues, in often collaboration with two fellow artists, which develops in art critiques/ talks and common projects such as art performances and art screenings.

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Another side of Cata’s art interests is his involvement in art education through different roles as art technician, art assistant and art teacher in several schools with students at different levels, from primary school to adult learning.

In 2017 he began his postgraduate studies in Art Curating and Museums at the University of Westminster, where he became involved in a public participation project hosted by Tate Modern, which explored the connection between human senses and art.
Cata’s growing interest in world traditions and cultures that are steadily disappearing of getting forgotten have taken him to Indonesia, where he intends to develop a collaboration with local artists and cultural institutions to widely promote the Indonesian traditions through an anthropological and artistic approach.