CARMEN BELEAN: Songs of Innocence: Altes Dampfbad, Marktplatz 13, 76530 Baden-Baden

One of the emerging woman artist increasingly making her presence felt on the international exhibition scene is the artist Carmen Belean. The solo exhibition “Songs of Innocence” marks her first curatorial collaboration with the contemporary art gallery Anaid Art Gallery, held at the Altes Dampfbad in Baden-Baden. The exhibition brings together a series of paintings and watercolors created in 2025, in a photorealistic approach with neo-romantic elements.

 

The solo show “Songs of Innocence” by Carmen Belean, curator Diana Dochia, PhD, which opens on Friday, 20^th June 2025, between 17:00 – 21:00 o’clock, will run until 13^th July 2025. The exhibition could be visited from Tuesday to Friday from 13:00 until 18:00 o’clock and Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 until 17:00 o’clock. In other timeframe by appointment at info@anaidartgallery.com or at +49 (0) 172 40 44 166.

 

The Altes Dampfbad - Säulensaal, with its rich history and unique architecture, provides a fitting backdrop for Carmen Belean’s works. The interplay between the venue’s classical elements and the contemporary nature of the exhibition creates a dialogue that enhances the thematic depth of the show. Visitors can expect to encounter a series of paintings and watercolours that juxtapose the old building space with the new creations of the artist, reflecting Carmen Belean’s exploration of time, memory, and the ephemeral nature.

 

The title of the exhibition references the world of English Romanticism, as revealed in the work of William Blake, where nature is seen as a manifestation of divinity and creative force. For Carmen Belean, the relationship between human and nature is built on a subtle, personal level, where nature becomes a space of withdrawal, reflection, and self-confrontation. Her female characters retreat into luxuriant nature, fully aware of their own fragility, searching for moments of self-reflection, contemplation, and remembrance. It is a moment of silence, of pause, a withdrawal from the noise of everyday life.

 

The swimming pool, as a motif in contemporary painting, often goes beyond the idea of a leisure space and becomes a metaphor loaded with multiple meanings: isolation, reflection on identity, the relationship between humans, nature, and time. From the realism of the 1960s to the psychological or abstract interpretations by contemporary artists, the swimming pool becomes an ambivalent space — both familiar and mysterious.

 

If in David Hockney’s pool representations we encounter the exuberance of life bathed in the scorching Californian light, shaping masculine bodies; in Alex Katz’s work, the pool is often just a décor element for gatherings of the American upper class; in Eric Fischl, the pool takes on a psychological charge — a world at the edge between intimacy and spectacle; and in Peter Doig, it is shaped as a game of memory and dream.

 

In Carmen Belean’s case, the swimming pool is a space of solitude, where the characters are isolated from the surrounding world. Her works exude a strong sense of introspection and melancholy. Viewed from this perspective, the pool is no longer a space for relaxation, but a psychological one — where the female characters seem trapped in their own thoughts.

 

For more information, please visit www.anaidartgallery.com or contact Dr. Diana Dochia at info@anaidartgallery.com.

 

Carmen Belean (b. 1982, Cluj) is a graduate of the University of Art and Design Cluj. She lives and works in Stuttgart and Cluj. The artist has exhibited in numerous solo and group shows in galleries in Paris, Stuttgart, Athens,  Prague, Rome, Frankfurt. Selected group and solo shows : “Balads of Water and Earth”, Adrian Sutton Gallery, Paris (2025), “Arcadia”, Heslach Stadtteilbibliothek Stuttgart (2023); “Loving Vincent”, Contemporary Art Center M. Seoul, Korea (2018); “Works on paper”, Fundation Rodriguez-Amat Gerona, Spain (2008); “Trans-border”, ZKM Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe (2006). Her works can be found in private collections in Greece, Germany, Belgium, USA, Romania. Since 2024 she has been represented by Anaid Art Gallery.

 

Altes Dampfbad, located in the heart of Baden-Baden, is a historic venue renowned for its cultural significance and architectural beauty. The space offers a unique setting for contemporary art exhibitions, blending classical elegance with modern artistic innovation. Baden-Baden is a UNESCO heritage site, where you can find the most beautiful mixture of old buildings and contemporary art museums and exhibitions.

 

Anaid Art Gallery, founded in 2004 by the art historian Diana Dochia, PhD, is dedicated to promoting contemporary art and supporting innovative artists from around the world. Known for its forward-thinking exhibitions and diverse programming, the gallery has established itself as a vital platform for contemporary artistic expression. This year Anaid Art Gallery celebrates 20 Years on the market of international contemporary art. Starting as a contemporary art gallery in Bucharest in 2004, in a former communist country, being in that moment the 3^rd established private gallery in the hole country (Romania); Anaid Art Gallery opened a second gallery in 2015 in the heart of Berlin. In 2024 the headquarter of the gallery moved to the beautiful cultural city of Baden-Baden. In 2025, the gallerylaunched the pop-up exhibition program Anaid Art Gallery: It’s time for Paris!, aimed at promoting the artists represented by the gallery over the next two years within the vibrant contemporary art scene of Paris.