IOAN SIMA GALLERY

The Ioan Sima Gallery is part of the County Museum of History and Art in Zalău and houses two permanent exhibitions: the painting collection of Ioan Sima and the entomological collection of Takács Adalbert. Both collections are connected to local figures whose lives and work were closely linked to Zalău and the surrounding region.

The exhibition concept for the Ioan Sima Gallery is structured around a double portrait: the artist and the person behind the work. Rather than separating biography from artistic production, the exhibition develops these two narratives in parallel and brings them together at key moments.

The existing sequence of rooms becomes a gradual journey through the artist’s life and work. The first room introduces the landscape of Pericei and the rural architecture that shaped his early visual memory. A graphic representation of his childhood home completes the setting, while visitors can hold a tablet in front of selected paintings to see their scenes come to life through augmented reality.

The second room has a more intimate character and is dedicated to childhood memories and portraits of children. An interactive table allows visitors to experiment with different drawing techniques.

The central room presents Sima as a mature artist through a series of family portraits and personal objects. Grey curtains create a continuous backdrop for the paintings and give the space an intimate character, while archival photographs, traditional textiles and carved wooden furniture introduce the artist’s family and domestic environment without recreating a historical interior literally.

Colour becomes the main subject of the following room, with particular attention given to the blue tones and floral compositions found throughout Sima’s work. Dried aromatic plants introduce an olfactory component, while a virtual-reality installation reconstructs the garden in Pericei as a space of observation and artistic inspiration.

The final room evokes the artist’s studio. Paintings are displayed on the walls and stored in drawers, together with tools and objects related to his working process. A group of portraits culminates with an unfinished portrait, presented on an easel. The work remains open, preserving a direct connection with the act of painting and with the passage of time.

The exhibition uses two complementary display systems. Dense, salon-style arrangements recall the atmosphere of Sima’s studio, while individual works are given space for closer observation. Freestanding panels and textile surfaces define smaller areas within the existing rooms and discreetly conceal openings. White and grey walls form a restrained background, with colour introduced only where it supports a specific theme.

Integrated and suspended showcases are designed to remain visually discreet. Directed lighting emphasizes the material qualities of the artworks and objects, while audio, olfactory and digital components expand the narrative without competing with the collection.

A separate room is dedicated to the entomological collection of Takács Adalbert. Lepidoptera and Coleoptera are presented in controlled showcases, individual display boxes and interactive installations. Mobile magnifying lenses allow close examination of the specimens, while small viewing ports, a digital table and three-dimensional projections provide information about their evolution, habitats and geographical distribution.

PROGRAM: exhibition design
STATUS: completed

SURFACE: 294 sqm
LOCATION: Zalău, Sălaj, Romania
YEAR: 2026

COLLABORATORS: furniture – Nurb; graphics and animations – Unda Obscura; textile -Adena Design.

PHOTO: Miruna Moldovan, Hunor Bako (viewcathers)

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