The international project Future Folk was an initiative of Alumnus Club for UNESCO, co-financed by the Administration of the National Cultural Fund, The Centre for Youth of Bucharest and the National Commission of Romania for UNESCO. Within this project, the artist Carmen Emanuela Popa developed a series of interpretive visuals in conceptual fashion design, making real artistic leaps between historical and contemporary, but also between stylistic statements specific to different cultures.
Thus, the artist proposes a junction between elements of Romanian folklore from different regions of the country, all inspired by an urban allure. Also, as novelty elements, decorative sewing is replaced with painting techniques of contemporary art, and materials such as cotton cloth or neoprene are reinterpreted to archetypal garments, such as Chinese Hanfu or French royal attire of the XVIIIth century.
“Creative projects are events that demonstrate that art is a carrier of emotions from person to person. It also creates a context of experimentation and learning. Art develops emotional intelligence, an essential factor in the deep assimilation of education. The artistic act increases the moral budgets without which man could not know the perfection.” - Carmen Emanuela Popa
Future Folk was exhibited in Romania at the Parliament Palace, the National Village Museum, Bucharest, the Romanian Cultural Institute / Galaxy SOHO in Beijing, at the NIO Company in Hefei, China and in Paris, France, at the City Hall 1 / Place du Louvre 4.
For the next period, Carmen Emanuela Popa is preparing a new vision in terms of urban influences on traditional clothing but also on the background of social and psychological climate movements in recent months.
The artist is a PhD student in Visual Arts at the National University of Arts, Bucharest and a graduate of the same university at the Faculty of Decorative Arts and Design, with a Master's degree in Fashion and Costume Strategies. In 2018 she received a scholarship to the IUAV University, Venice, Italy.
The international project Future Folk was an initiative of Alumnus Club for UNESCO, co-financed by the Administration of the National Cultural Fund, The Centre for Youth of Bucharest and the National Commission of Romania for UNESCO. Within this project, the artist Carmen Emanuela Popa developed a series of interpretive visuals in conceptual fashion design, making real artistic leaps between historical and contemporary, but also between stylistic statements specific to different cultures.
