#Exhibit of the Month

Buckles (paftale) are an almost indispensable element of traditional women's dress in the Southeastern European area, particularly in the Balkans, and have been in use over a long period, from the 14th to the 20th century.
The word pafta is of Turkic origin-possibly entering the language via Iranian influence-derived from the Persian word bafta, meaning "woven," which evolved in Turkish to signify "plate." Today, the term is used in nearly identical forms in Romanian (pafta), Bulgarian (пафта), Serbian (пафте), and some Aromanian dialects (pafta), designating functional and ornamental clothing accessories used to fasten belts, girdles, or sashes, crafted from various materials and decorated using different techniques.
The three buckles decorated in the polychrome enamel technique, preserved in the collection of the National Museum of History of Moldova, belong to the South-Danubian tradition and are dated to the late 19th - early 20th century.

Each buckle consists of two identical trapezoidal parts, their surfaces divided into three roughly equal registers, adorned with stylized vegetal motifs forming a metal lattice into which enamel is poured. The two parts extend into sharp angles at the ends, forming a triangle with the edge of the last decorative register, similarly ornamented. The enamel used to fill the floral motifs is black, turquoise, white, orange, green, yellow, and burgundy. The entire decorative field is framed by a beaded border.

On the reverse, both components retain a copper band riveted along the edge, used to fasten the ends of the belt. The fastening system, made by interlocking the hinges of the two parts and secured with a movable pin attached by a chain to a clasp fixed on one of the buckle pieces, is concealed by a rectangular plate (riveted with three pins to the body of the piece), with narrow edges ending in sharp angles, decorated in the same style and technique. Additionally, it features three circular settings with notched edges bent inward to hold centrally placed red and green glass paste. These settings are framed by a radiant, notched band.

The symbolism of the color palette encodes meanings and symbols, chosen for their believed magical powers. Red has always represented love, affection, and protection against curses and the evil eye; white symbolizes purity and spiritual and physical cleanliness; blue is symbolically associated with infinity, morning, new beginnings, and transformation; green represents destiny, hope, prosperity, balance, and rebirth, being linked to nature's revival each spring and to life itself.

Virtual Tour

“The train of pain”

The monument that is dedicated to the memory of the victims of the deportations of the communist regime (unofficially, also called the "Train of Pain") is a memorial that holds the memory of tens of thousands of Moldovans (Bessarabians) deported in the years 1940–1953 during the communist regime.

The location of the monument in the square of the Chisinau Railway Station has a special connotation: it was from here that most of the Bessarabians were forcibly taken to Siberia and Kazakhstan. Documentary materials about the deportees and their families are included in four volumes of the Memory Book. The volumes contain data on individuals subjected to repression (name, surname of the repressed, year of birth, place of origin, year and reason for repression, place of detention (deportation), data on rehabilitation) in the municipalities and districts of the Republic of Moldova. The documentary material is structured according to the administrative-territorial division of the Republic of Moldova until 12.11.1998. Within the district, the materials are distributed by communes, within the commune - in alphabetical order and respecting the chronology of repressions. To ensure maximum accessibility, the Memory Book has been digitized and encoded in a QR Code.

The monument is made by the sculptor Iurie Platon. The inauguration of the monument took place on August 23, 2013. The bronze sculpture is 3 meters high, 12 meters long and weighs 15 tons.

IURIE PLATON

Painter, ceramist, sculptor, organizer of numerous international projects of intercultural exchanges, teacher of art education,

visual artist with work in public and private collections from all around the world,

awarded with prestigious prizes and distinctions at contemporary art competitions.

Studies:

1974 – 1981 Republican High School of Fine Arts Igor Vieru, class of Professor Victor Marinescu, Chisinau

1982 – 1987 Institute of Arts, class of teachers Eve Mardna, Leo Rohlin, Tallinn, Estonia, Specialization: Fine and Applied Arts

Devotion:

1985 He made his creative debut with painting at the Youth Theater, Tallinn, Estonia

1987 The republican exhibition of decorative art participates with the work Memories

1987 Full member of the Association of Young Visual Artists and Art Critics of the USSR Union of Fine Artists

1991 Full member of the Union of Visual Artists of the Republic of Moldova

1997, 1998 Initiator and organizer of the International Symposium of small bronze sculpture, Chisinau

1996, up until now he continues to be an freelance visual artist in Germany and the Republic of Moldova

Teaching activity in art education:

1987 – 1996 P Professor at the Academy of Music, Theater and Fine Arts, Chisinau. He led the first class of graduates at the ceramics department, of which Oleg Dobrovolschi, Elena Mogorean, Ion Niţa, Vladimir Tabac integrated in the contemporary creative process.

2000, 2003, 2008 Professor of stone sculpture at the Summer Academy at the An der Copelschleuse Creation Center, Meppen, Germany

2005 Outdoor painting teacher at courses organized by the Imbert Gallery, Aix-en-Provance, France

Solo Exhibitions:

From the beginning of his artistic activity up until now, he carries out an extensive creative activity, accumulating in his record more than 60 personal and group exhibitions in the country and abroad: Argentina, Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Hungary.

Monumental works for public:

Argentina, Czech Republic, Germany, Republic of Moldova, Romania

Works in public and private collections:

Argentina, Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Republic of Moldova, Romania

Distinctions / scholarships:

1991 Youth Prize for Fine Arts, awarded by the Ministry of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Moldova

1994 Iulian Antonescu Museum Complex Award, Bacău, Romania

1996 Lotus Company Award, Romania - awarded at the exhibition-contest of contemporary art Salons of Moldova: Romania-Republic of Moldova

1997 First Prize of the Radio Free Europe Sculptors Symposium, Czech Republic

2000, 2003, 2008 Scholarship awarded by the An der Copelschleuse Creative Center, Meppen, Germany

2006 Scholarship awarded by the International Confederation of Visual Artists' Unions of Moscow at the Cité Internaionali des Arts, Paris, France

2009 Prize of the Union of Visual Artists of the Republic of Moldova