'There must be an island out there that cannot be found. Strange rituals organize life on that piece of rock. I call it "the island for Umberto" because he took me there once. I have learned the way and I became a frequent visitor to that land. Among the splendid creatures who live there, one can find Strange women. I don't know their names; I call them strange because they are magnificent, overwhelming, excessive, massive, primitive and gloriously sexual. They are calm, move slowly and have the gift of making a visitor to the island feel immortal.'

Alexandru Rădvan, artist

'I have Hercules in my womb, in my arms and knees. He is half god and I am not. He loses his temper and I lose my temper. Both of us regret it afterwards, seeing the damage we have done. Hercules works hard and builds things; I work very hard (yet I am only human) and try to build a world. I love him and he would probably appreciate me. I feel I could hold the skies on my shoulders, move a mountain or journey to the Underworld and back if needed. All I have to do is believe that he did it before me. Every morning is a new labor, every evening is a new territory to conquer, every night marks the return home, to hear your woman's breathe while she sleeps, to feel the warmth of the skin on her belly, and the smell of her nipples. The veins are filled with lava, melted gold and godly power. One day I will drink my wine with Hercules and Ulysses, and we will eat a herd of oxen.'

Alexandru Rădvan, artist

OXYMORONIC VIEW

‘I love:

the romanticism of brutal colors, the sensuality of angular shapes, the softness of intense light,

the elegance of clumsy bodies, 

the delicacy of giants,

the intimacy of wide horizons, 

the tranquility of danger,

the solidity of the skies.

I love them and I want to show them to you.’

Alexandru Rădvan, artist