In Sarmizegetusa N 78 (2021), Irina Ojovan continues to engage with ultra-contemporary abstract painting by blending modernist principles with a deeply personal narrative. Her work navigates the terrain between pure geometric abstraction and emotional resonance, positioning her within a lineage that includes prominent figures such as Josef Albers, Kazimir Malevich, and Ellsworth Kelly, while also contributing to current dialogues in abstract art.

The dominant yellow form at the center of the canvas, softened by its gradient, draws immediate parallels to Albers’ exploration of color interaction in his Homage to the Square series. Albers sought to investigate how colors affect one another and the viewer’s perception. Similarly, Ojovan uses color and form to create subtle yet powerful visual shifts, evoking sensations of light, warmth, and spatial depth. Yet, Ojovan’s work moves beyond pure color theory, connecting these formal qualities to personal memory and inherited histories, thus introducing an emotional layer that resonates with the viewer.

Her use of geometric forms also recalls the utopian aspirations of Russian Constructivism, particularly the work of Kazimir Malevich. Where Malevich sought transcendence through the “supremacy” of pure form, Ojovan grounds her abstraction in the real world, referencing her father’s architectural tools and personal history. This imbues her geometric forms with a biographical weight that transcends formalism, aligning her work with contemporary practices that merge the personal with the universal.

In terms of contemporary peers, Ojovan’s art can be seen in conversation with painters like Sarah Crowner or Tauba Auerbach, both of whom explore the boundaries of geometry, materiality, and surface within modern abstraction. Like Crowner, who is known for reconfiguring geometric forms into bold, abstract compositions, Ojovan carefully manipulates shape and surface texture to create spaces that both reference architectural forms and allow for personal interpretation. Additionally, her controlled use of lacquer and oil—emphasizing surface and material—parallels Auerbach’s engagement with the tactile quality of the painted surface.

Ojovan’s choice of lacquer adds a heightened dimensionality, evoking the tactile richness of works by artists like Frank Stella or Donald Judd, who pioneered the concept of art as object. In Sarmizegetusa N 78, the smooth finish of the lacquer contrasts with the softer, more traditional texture of oil, encouraging a dialogue between the materials, much like Judd’s experiments with industrial materials in his sculptural works. This interaction between materials elevates Ojovan’s painting beyond its visual forms, emphasizing the objecthood of the canvas itself.

By merging these diverse influences—from modernist pioneers to her own architectural heritage—Ojovan’s Sarmizegetusa N 78 occupies a distinctive place in the field of ultra-contemporary abstract painting. Her work offers not only a formal exploration of color and shape but also a meditative reflection on personal memory, time, and space, positioning her within a broader conversation about the evolution of abstraction in the 21st century. Through this synthesis of form, material, and meaning, Ojovan successfully bridges historical traditions with contemporary sensibilities, adding significant depth and value to her oeuvre within the field.