Florin Dragoi @ HEARTFULLY — Opening
Future Tribes Opens at HEARTFULLY Gallery in Sibiu
On Thursday, July 23, I had the pleasure of opening Future Tribes, my first solo exhibition in Sibiu, presented at HEARTFULLY by Fundatia Polisano.
The opening brought together friends, collectors, artists, and visitors for an evening of conversations around drawing, mythology, ritual, and imagined futures. One of the things that continues to fascinate me whenever I exhibit is how naturally figurative drawings invite conversation. People rarely stop at simply looking, they ask who the characters are, where they come from, what the symbols mean, and, quite often, whether they're actually drawings at all. Fortunately, once we've established that no, they're not photographs, the conversation usually becomes much more interesting.
I've come to appreciate that a figurative image offers people a place to begin. A face, a mask, a familiar gesture, or an unexpected detail sparks a first question, and before long that question turns into a conversation. For me, that's one of the most rewarding aspects of exhibiting, not simply showing finished drawings, but watching them become catalysts for stories, interpretations, and unexpected exchanges. Every artwork continues its journey through the people who encounter it.
Hosted by HEARTFULLY by Fundatia Polisano, Romania's first charity art gallery, the exhibition is presented in a space where contemporary art meets a meaningful social mission. Created by the Polisano Foundation, HEARTFULLY supports life-saving cardiac surgeries and medical treatments for children through the sale of donated artworks, making it a privilege to present this project within such an inspiring context.
Earlier this year, I also had the opportunity to contribute two artworks to HEARTFULLY's permanent collection in support of this initiative. Returning to collaborate with the team for this exhibition has been both a pleasure and an honour.
Future Tribes brings together a selection of drawings in graphite and colored pencil that explore mythology, ritual, identity, and imagined futures. The works depict a civilization that has rediscovered balance through nature, ancestral memory, and symbolic traditions, where ritual masks and ceremonial garments become markers of identity in a world where technological progress and ancient wisdom coexist.
I'd like to extend my sincere thanks to everyone who joined us for the opening, and especially to the entire HEARTFULLY team, Catalina Costache and Adrian Oprea, Diana Tampau, and Dudi Jurj, for their generosity, enthusiasm, and support in bringing this exhibition to life.
The exhibition remains on view until August 6, 2026, at HEARTFULLY Gallery, 44–46 9 Mai Street, Sibiu.
Alongside the original drawings available through the exhibition, a selection of archival Fine Art Giclée prints are also available for purchase in the gallery.
Below are a few photographs from the opening evening, beautifully taken by Gabriel Dumbrava. If you'd like to discover more about the opening night, you can visit the exhibition page on my website.
Photo credits Gabriel Dumbrava
