Abel Rad (b. 2000) is a visual artist who lives and works in Cluj. In his practice he works with metaphors that embody a multitude of personal stories. He combines the raw and specific elements of the ordinary world, melding them slowly and with the utmost care into a single piece in which each element is necessary for the other to reveal itself. His work is about searching, about attempting to make a connection with something bigger than yourself, beyond the constraints of reality and the material world.

Summer Mist portrays a mystical wild creature that emerges out of the mists to protect and purify those around it. This being, a fusion of human and animal, personifies a metaphysical creature whose role is to safeguard loved ones. The merging of the two aspects, rational and spiritual, serves as an ode to a loved one. In Abel Rad's work, traces of collective memory often intertwine with his personal experiences. By deciphering the layers in his works, one can find oneself immersed in an amnesic vortex, navigating through a personal timeline.

(Gia Țidorescu)