Madness 1998 - 2015

"There was no salvation to pray for in the asylum.
The patients were trapped inside themselves, unable to express their minds.
I wondered if art could be a way out, a door to escape insanity.
Could there be salvation in color?"

A VOICE FOR THE OUTCASTS

Madness is a journey into the marginalisation of mentally ill and neurodivergent individuals - a remnant of the Socialist era in Romania - and an exploration of the redeeming power of art as a form of self-expression.
In 1991, shortly after Ceaușescu's demise and the collapse of the Soviet Union, Daniela Caraman started visiting a psychiatric hospital on a regular basis, prompted by her interest in philosophy and psychology and inspired by the life of Vincent Van Gogh and the works of Jean-Paul Sartre.
Then barely 18 years old, the artist spent three months talking to patients, observing them, and drawing sketches, portraits, and compositions. This intense experience gave birth to several works, some of which were later selected for her first solo exhibition in Botoșani, and continued to inspire the artist during the following years.