Chains of linked structures. Vivid colors. Organic reactions. Chemical stress responses. In the context of LabCentral — Greater Boston’s premier coworking laboratory launchpad for high-potential life-science startups — it’s natural to assume the above description refers to the view through the lens of a high-powered microscope. In fact, it’s how neo-expressionist artist Sorin Bica describes his large-scale, abstract figurative paintings, which are on exhibit in LabCentral’s newly expanded Gallery 1832, now through February 12, 2018. An artist reception and talk will be held January 18, 2018, from 5 to 7 pm.
Bica says, “My art is raw and abstract, mostly two dimensional; it combines lines, shapes, almost geometrical figures and a lot of color displayed in an organic way — creating complex relationships, similar to chemical reactions. Many of my paintings are portraits or chains of people touching each other literally or figuratively. Some are the story of a moment or a day — a feeling or an event that marked me at the time — but they also are the fruits of years of searching for answers.”
“It’s wonderful to come in frozen from outside, now that the weather has turned wintery, and feel the instant blast of heat from the extraordinarily beautiful and intense color of Sorin’s powerful paintings,” says Shazia Mir, curator of Gallery 1832 and events and operations associate at LabCentral. “It’s an inspirational show to have now that we’ve expanded to two floors. And we’re honored to have him.”
Bica (52) was born in Bucharest, Romania, where he studied at Scoala Populara de Arta. He began his career drawing political cartoons back in his native country. He moved to the United States in 1988, where he studied art at Worcester State University. He continued to work on combining the primitive-style drawings from his early cartoons with his painting, ultimately formulating his highly colored, neo-expressionist, figurative style into large-scale paintings and murals for which he is becoming well known. Bica’s work can be found in many public, private, and corporate collections both in the United States and abroad. He is a particular favorite of many science-oriented companies and patrons.
Asked why he thinks scientists are avid collectors of and find inspiration in his work, Bica comments, “For one thing, I’m around a lot of scientists — my wife, Ioana Bica, is a physician specializing in treating people with HIV and Hep. C at Boston Medical Center, and many of our friends are scientists. But I think fundamentally — I’m seeking the same thing that they are. Creativity is essential for science, but so is science to creativity. I am the curious that’s always looking for the usefulness and beauty of the world. Maybe a particular reaction is in response to sickness and horror and chaos… my mother’s Alzheimer’s, politics, endless wars. But balance is the final destination.”
Sorin Bica lives with his wife and two boys in Framingham, Massachusetts, and is an artist-in-residence at SOWA artist Studios in Boston and Saxonville Studios, in Framingham. He is represented by Fountain Street Gallery, Boston, Paula Estey Gallery, Newburyport, Massachusetts, and Barba Contemporary Art Gallery, Palm Springs California.
To learn more about the artist’s reception on January 18, 2018, visit the now showing page on the LabCentral website. The public is welcome to visit the exhibition. Viewing is by appointment. For further details contact Shazia Mir at 617-863-3650.
About Gallery 1832
LabCentral boasts two floors of linear gallery halls, nestled within a labyrinth of whitewashed laboratory space. It hosts a carefully curated rotation of local artists every two months. While some posit that science and art are polar opposites, Gallery 1832 challenges this notion, highlighting how artists’ and scientists’ similarities far outweigh their differences. Subscribing to the belief that a constantly changing environment and exposure to new perspectives is beneficial to the mind, the gallery space offers provocative and beautiful work to provide residents and visitors new avenues to find inspiration in the space around them and perhaps help them expand out of their comfort zones to find new, creative approaches to problem solving.
About LabCentral (www.labcentral.org; twitter @labcentral)
LabCentral is a first-of-its-kind shared laboratory workspace in the heart of the Kendall Square, Cambridge, biotech innovation hub, designed as a launchpad for high-potential life-sciences and biotech startups. We offer everything young companies need to begin lab operations immediately upon move-in and propel their science forward faster and more cost-efficiently. This includes: beautifully designed, fully permitted lab and office space, first-class facility and administrative support, skilled laboratory personnel, peer learning and networking opportunities, an expert speaker series — as well as critical access to potential funders and industry partners. A private, nonprofit institution, our first site opened in 2013, with support from our real-estate partner, MIT. Founding sponsors include Johnson & Johnson Innovation, the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, Roche, and Triumvirate Environmental. To accommodate demand for growing startups, we expanded our original site to double the original size in the fall of 2017, and, with support from Pfizer, opened LabCentral 610 at the end of the year. We now have capacity to serve a total of ~450 scientists and entrepreneurs in about 70 companies across our two-building campus. In 2017, we also added the LabCentral Learning Lab for STEM programming to help inspire the next generation of science entrepreneurs.
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A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/fc872b1c-9c80-4203-bf38-08f2ef634925
Attachments:
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ed9f5860-bdd5-4dc2-82f4-99d9863bf4f2
Attachments:
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/700ce34f-896f-4aa8-aca5-08f37498c203