On Wednesday, December 3, 2025, starting at 6:00 PM, the opening of the solo exhibition of traditional Romanian masks by artist Paul Buța, entitled “Mythical Scenarios”, will take place at the CREART Gallery in Bucharest (7 Alexandru Lahovari Square). Curated by Ana Daniela Sultana, the exhibition is organized by the Bucharest City Hall through CREART – the Center for Creation, Art and Tradition of the Municipality of Bucharest, and will be open to the public from December 4, 2025, to January 11, 2026, at the CREART Gallery.

The image of groups of carolers wearing folk masks who appear during the winter holidays is undoubtedly one of the most spectacular and powerful traditions preserved in Romania. These masks reconstruct the alphabet of an archaic language and carry forward customs rooted in ancient pagan rituals later assimilated into Christianity. Paul Buța does not merely create objects of folkloric ritual; through his masks, he reveals an entire world. In his pursuit of authenticity, the artist studied traditional crafting techniques and models passed down by elders, and was guided in his work by academician Romulus Vulcănescu.

Through his artistic practice—harmoniously combining ethnographic research, craftsmanship, and acting—Paul Buța offers a complete and informed perspective on these ancestral customs, even sustaining their performative function. For him, masks transcend their decorative dimension; they are meant to be worn in order to embody archetypal roles or primordial forces within dances, ceremonies, agrarian and pastoral rituals, or short theatrical scenes integrated into holiday caroling. In this way, tradition does not remain confined to ethnographic documents, but vibrates—raw and alive—like an ancient string that refuses to fall silent. Constantin Prut described the masked caroling processions inspired by horned zoomorphic figures (bull, deer, ram), which announce the birth of the New Year, as “ancient mythical scenarios in which the animal may testify to divine epiphanies or act as a messenger between different realms.”
— Ana Daniela Sultana

Paul Buța is a multi-faceted artist: an actor at the “Nicolae Leonard” Musical Theatre in Galați, an ethnographic researcher at the “Dunărea de Jos” Cultural Center in Galați, and a master folk artisan—one of Romania’s most renowned creators of traditional masks. Through his work, including the founding of the living museum “Vatra cu Dor”, the organization of traditional festivals, and participation in specialized events, Paul Buța contributes to preserving tradition and transmitting the meaning of masks to younger generations and urban audiences. He has received numerous awards, medals, and diplomas for his cultural activity. Exhibited since the 1990s, his masks have been showcased in many cities in Romania and abroad, including Paris, Venice, Strasbourg, Brussels, Limoux, London, and Vienna.

Ana Daniela Sultana is a curator and cultural writer, a graduate of the University of Applied Arts in Vienna. She publishes articles in ARTA magazine, Orizonturi Culturale Italo-Române, and on agentiadecarte.ro. She collaborates with institutions such as CREART, ICR Istanbul, ICR Vienna, ICR Venice, the Austrian Cultural Forum Bucharest, the Timișoara Art Museum, Kunsthalle Feldbach, Aluniș Art Center, as well as numerous contemporary art galleries.

Designed in a white-box format, the CREART Gallery is an exhibition space dedicated to contemporary art, hosting solo shows by both established and emerging artists.

CREART – the Center for Creation, Art and Tradition of the Municipality of Bucharest is a public cultural institution whose main mission is to promote and support Romanian cultural values at both local and international levels. Acting as a true cultural ambassador of the capital, CREART creates and develops sustainable cultural brands for Bucharest and Romania by blending tradition with artistic innovation. The institution manages emblematic cultural spaces such as Teatrelli, dedicated to contemporary performing arts; Grădina cu Filme, a summer venue for cinema, music, and debates; and the CREART Gallery, an internationally recognized platform for contemporary visual art. Through major events such as iMapp Bucharest, the Bucharest Christmas Market, and the International Folklore Festival, as well as through its support for young artists and independent initiatives, CREART contributes to integrating Bucharest into the network of major cultural cities worldwide, while strengthening Romania’s cultural identity.