Totalitarianism Seen Through Metaphors: Paintings by Ioana Mamali features seven new works in oil that explore the artist’s experience growing up under Communism. Mamali describes her Surrealistic paintings as “metaphorical representations of past and present existence.” She has a strong desire to express, through metaphorical narratives, the open wounds of Communism, and attempts to show the distortions nested in people’s minds. According to the artist, the purpose of her art is to “awaken the curiosity to understand the truth, so much needed for our survival.”
Ioana Mamali (b. 1945) has a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Bucharest-Romania. She has lived in the United States since 1990, when she and her husband left Romania for Iowa City, Iowa. Mamali relocated to Dubuque, Iowa a number of years later to accept a position with an architectural firm. Her work has been exhibited locally as part of the Art@Your Library series at Carnegie-Stout Public Library and in juried exhibitions sponsored by the Wisconsin Watercolor Society and the Dubuque Museum of Art. Mamali’s works are included in private collections in Austria, Belgium, Canada, England, Romania, and the U.S.