Riga Crypto și lapona Enigel
The sculptural group consists of two elements, “Riga Crypto” and “Lapona Enigel.”
The concept is based on the depiction of the two antagonistic characters from Ion Barbu’s poem, representing the story of their impossible love. Lapona Enigel is the female character, belonging to the human realm and originating from frozen regions, while Riga Crypto, the king of mushrooms, has a vegetal origin.
The work represents the final scene, in which the symbolic death of the male character takes place—his transformation into a poisonous mushroom—suggested precisely through his dynamic posture.
Beyond the poem’s surface narrative, the piece reflects on the impossibility of transcending one’s inherent condition.
Teodora Vasilescu
Teo Vasilescu is a visual artist, sculptor, and jewelry designer. She studied at the National University of Arts in Bucharest, in the Metal Department, and uses art as a form of resistance. Her practice thus becomes a commentary on the ways in which contemporary society packages suffering, aestheticizes injustice, and turns pain into spectacle.
One of the defining moments in her career was winning the Venice Design Week award in 2024, followed by her participation in the 2025 exhibition in Venice with the collection “Flux.”