Our "Constantin Brâncuși" Gallery will host a retrospective long in the making: Running Man by Daniel Bălănescu, acclaimed multidisciplinary, socially engaged contemporary British-Romanian artist. This comprehensive exhibition, comprising around 20 works, will be presented in parallel with a selection of the artist’s works in a group exhibition at Britannia Row Gallery in Angel. The latter was developed in collaboration with ArtEN (Art Embassy Network) as part of the VIP programme of London Gallery Weekend (5–7 June 2026). Together, the two presentations create a fluid exchange between an institutional exhibition space and an independent curatorial context, allowing the works to move between different audiences, registers and exhibition environments within London’s contemporary art landscape.
The Retrospective at the Romanian Cultural Institue
The exhibition opens on5 June 2026, 7:00 PM, with a Private View. The exhibition will be open on Saturday, 6 June and Sunday, 7 June from 11 AM to 5 PM. After the inaugural weekend, the retrospective can be visited Mon-Fri from 10 AM to 4 PM until 10 July 2026.
At its core, Running Man reflects on movement not as a theme, but as a condition — one that shapes how bodies, perception and identity are formed in relation to space. Curated by Katie Baxendale, the presentation brings together works created on unconventional surfaces — including train and underground tickets, textile supports, and large-scale interventions — to unfold an ongoing investigation into movement as both subject and structure in Bălănescu’s practice. The exhibition extends into a sequence of works ranging from intimate graphic interventions to large-scale textile compositions, forming a layered reflection on urban circulation, personal trace and collective rhythm. A participatory element invites visitors to contribute to an evolving collective work throughout the exhibition.
Exhibition at Britannia Row Gallery – London Gallery Weekend VIP Programme
In parallel, Daniel Bălănescu presents works within a group exhibition at Britannia Row Gallery, Angel, London, developed in collaboration with ArtEN (Art Embassy Network). The presentation is part of the VIP programme of London Gallery Weekend (5–7 June 2026), a curated strand dedicated to collectors, curators and invited cultural professionals. Curated by Rodrigo Chaveiro, the exhibition brings together artists from across Europe, activating a transnational curatorial framework rooted in exchange, mobility and institutional collaboration.
A Private View takes place on3 June 2026, 5:00 PM, establishing a dialogue between the Britannia Row presentation and the Romanian Cultural Institute in London exhibition. This exhibition will be open until 30 June. Watch this space for updates on booking for the Private View and opening times.
Daniel Bălănescu is a British-Romanian visual artist whose practice explores themes of movement, identity and the relationship between the individual and society within the shifting landscape of the contemporary world. Born and trained in Târgu Jiu, in proximity to the legacy of Constantin Brâncuși, Bălănescu developed his visual language within a context where public space and cultural memory intersect. This early environment continues to inform an approach grounded in the interplay between place, time and perception. Working across drawing, collage and object-based interventions, the artist employs unconventional materials — including train and underground tickets — as surfaces that carry traces of everyday movement. These are transformed into visual structures that reflect and reinterpret the experience of mobility. Textile also plays a central role in his practice, functioning as a flexible and responsive medium capable of generating both large-scale works and more ephemeral interventions. Movement recurs throughout his work, both as subject and structure. The human figure, often referencing urban crossing signs, becomes a repeated motif that reflects the condition of the contemporary individual in a state of continuous transition. This is accompanied by an ongoing reflection on boundaries — geographical, social and psychological — and the ways in which they are navigated and redefined. Bălănescu’s work often incorporates participatory elements, inviting audience engagement and extending beyond the object into a more open, process-based and relational form of practice. His interest in temporality and anticipation further shapes his work, positioning art as a means of observing and responding to emerging social and cultural realities.
He has exhibited in both national and international contexts, contributing to projects that engage with themes such as mobility, identity and social transformation, while also participating in collaborative and educational initiatives.
Curatorial team
Katie Baxendale is a Cambridge graduate and award-winning television writer, co-creator of Sugar Rush (International Emmy Award winner, BAFTA-nominated series), with an extensive career in British television drama and experience as a juror for the International Emmy Awards.
Rodrigo Chaveiro is a London-based curator and Director of the Art Embassy Network (ArtEN). His practice spans institutional and independent projects across Europe and Japan, including collaborations with Tate and the Museum of London. ArtEN is an independent curatorial platform based in London, developing exhibitions and cultural programmes in collaboration with artists, institutions and independent spaces, while also functioning as an open editorial space exploring the intersections of art, diplomacy and cultural policy.
Photo by Victor Dia
Free entry.
Book your presence HERE
