Careful inspection though is rewarded by much more than banality. Instead these are glimpses into inner lives and even souls. Through her choice of images, Iacob captures the essence of her protagonists’ generation. She exposes loneliness, the problematics of increasingly living a life in the virtual realm, the exchange of physical intimacy for the quick gratification afforded by pornography and a gradual disengagement from society at large. Throughout her works, Iacob does not flinch from trying to be truthful, but neither does she give up on the pursuit of beauty which she clearly still seeks to find in the human condition and her surroundings. There is searing observation - but this is often enveloped by a warm and even nostalgic light.
Jane Neal
Ioana Iacob’s work is initially quiet, even contemplative. She draws from the domestic realm and is an acute observer of the human condition. There is a strongly voyeuristic quality to Iacob’s work in that she exposes the most intimate and vulnerable moments of her subjects’ lives as if unbidden at a secret key hole. Sometimes her protagonists are depicted asleep, having sex or caught in a moment of quiet, private contemplation such as reading, surfing the net or checking their phone - completely unaware of being watched. The decision to focus on a choice of motif which could be described as mundane if not banal, is a brave one. Iacob’s paintings need time to reveal their intensity.
Education
2023 – Academy of Change – Training and Mentorship Program, Cluj Cultural Center, Romania
2019 – PhD, University of Art and Design Cluj-Napoca, Romania
2011 – MA, University of Art and Design Cluj-Napoca, Faculty of Fine Arts, Romania
2009 – BA, University of Art and Design Cluj-Napoca, Faculty of Fine Arts, Painting Department, Romania
2002–2006 – Fine Arts High School “Romul Ladea”, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Solo Exhibitions
2025 – “Bloom and Doom”, Art Museum Cluj-Napoca, Romania
2017 – “Instructions for Being”, Matca Art Space, Cluj, Romania
2014 – “Umbre Albe”, Visual Kontakt, Oradea, Romania
2013 – “Collectibles”, Mie Lefever Gallery, Ghent, Belgium
2013 – “Foarte în Plus”, Calina Gallery, Timișoara, Romania
2012 – “Do Not Dispose After Use”, Anaid Art Gallery, Bucharest, Romania
2011 – “Stairway to Heaven”, Mie Lefever Gallery, Ghent, Belgium
2010 – “Prima Lecție”, Artbooth Project, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
2009 – “Untitled”, LAIKA Art Space, Bucharest, Romania
Scholarships / Grants / Residencies
2016 – Erasmus Mobility Grant, Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, Belgium
2014 – Erasmus Mobility Grant, Plan B Gallery, Berlin, Germany
2009 – Internship, Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice, Italy
2008 – Erasmus Student Mobility Grant, École Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Cornouaille, Quimper, France
Group Exhibitions
2025 – “Take a Breath Before Stepping In”, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
2025 – “Cigarettes After Ex”, Galeria 88, Corbeanca, Romania
2025 – “Paper Thin Love”, Salon du Papier, Bucharest, Romania
2024 – “Înainte de Sfârșit e Întotdeauna Prea Târziu”, Moara cu Imagini, Zalău, Romania
2024 – “Wild Card”, Galerie Martin Kudlek, Cologne, Germany
2023 – “Tales from a Jar”, Funnel Contemporary, Belgrade, Serbia
2023 – “Rock Balancing on Shaky Ground”, Heerz Tooya, Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria
2023 – “Put It in Other Words / Cu Alte Cuvinte”, Art Museum Cluj-Napoca, Romania
2023 – “Cluj Revisited”, Galerie Martin Kudlek, Cologne, Germany
2022 – “Egg White”, The Cosmic House Gallery, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
2022 – “Stolen Moments, Vivid Dreams”, David Kovats Gallery, London, United Kingdom
2020 – “Show Off 3 – Between Emergence and Establishment”, MATCA Art Space, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
2020 – “What If You Were in My Shoes?”, Art Museum Cluj-Napoca, Romania
2019 – “Show Off 2”, MATCA Art Space, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
2019 – “Rondul de Noapte / The Night Watch”, Art Museum Cluj-Napoca, Romania
2018 – “Chimera: Automated Erotic Massage Salon”, Atelier 35, Bucharest, Romania
2018 – “Soon This Body Will Be Still”, MATCA Art Space, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
2018 – “Show Off”, MATCA Art Space, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
2018 – “Dark Smoke”, Patrick Heide Gallery, London, United Kingdom
2016 – “The Divided Woman”, Nunc Contemporary, Antwerp, Belgium
2016 – “Hard Candy”, Atelier Irina M., Paintbrush Factory, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
2016 – “The Quiet Corner”, Lateral Art Space, Paintbrush Factory, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
2015 – “T.A.N.G.O. – Turning Art Now Gliding Over”, Art Museum Cluj-Napoca, Romania
2015 – “Painting – Cluj”, Galerie Martin Kudlek, Cologne, Germany
2013 – “Distorted Realities”, LARM Galleri, Copenhagen, Denmark
2009 – “Young Artists from the Painting School of Cluj”, Mie Lefever Gallery, Ghent, Belgium
2008 – “15 Romanian and Hungarian Artists”, Plan B Gallery, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Workshops
2010 – “Construire une Exposition”, Louvre Museum, Paris, France
2009 – “Ananas et Bisons Blancs”, Samuel von Brukenthal Summer Residency, Avrig, Sibiu, Romania