Diaspora Days // Story about Moldova told through colors

Folklore and traditions of the Republic of Moldova have taken on a new form in the works of artist Olga Chilat, who lives in Brussels. Returning home for Diaspora Days, the artist opened in Chișinău the painting exhibition “Beyond the Threshold – Folklore Translated into Contemporary Illustration,” a collection of works inspired by cultural heritage, symbols, stories, and folk traditions.

Although she works in the field of economic analysis within European institutions, Olga Chilat says that there is a deeper connection between her professional activity and her passion for art than it might seem at first glance: both stem from the desire to understand the world and the mechanisms that shape it.


“Drawing and painting have accompanied me throughout my life, since school and university. In fact, my field of activity is not that different. In Brussels I do economic analysis, while my art is based on folklore. What is folklore? It is the sum of our ancestors’ wisdom, passed down through stories. These stories influence the way we make decisions, how we organize our family, economy, and society. They are things that shape us without us being aware of it. This very search for essence is reflected both in my artistic creation and in the analyses I carry out,” Olga Chilat told MOLDPRES.




The exhibition brings together works through which the artist explores traditions and motifs from folk culture. Some paintings are inspired by winter customs, others by summer ones, by rituals dedicated to abundance, fairy tales, and characters.

An important part of the exhibition is devoted to a series of works inspired by the major arcana of the tarot, reinterpreted through the lens of folklore.


“I have invested a lot of soul in each painting, and the paintings are filled with symbols,” the artist explained.






Among the works that are especially dear to Olga Chilat is the painting dedicated to the god Crăciun, a representation inspired by ancient Carpathian traditions.


“For example, the painting dedicated to the god Crăciun — this is a Carpathian deity that existed long before the Christianization of our people and was celebrated at the winter solstice, December 21–25. The character reflects the face of my grandfather; it is a portrait of him transformed into a god. I am very attached to this painting,” said Olga Chilat.


Another work, “Saint Sunday,” is associated by the artist with the idea of justice and with one of the major arcana of the tarot.


“‘Saint Sunday’ is one of these arcana because it represents justice. Justice, as understood by our people, is based on merit, and Saint Sunday keeps in her little chest a treasure that corresponds to the efforts made by the hero of the story,” the artist said.






Relatives, friends, as well as people who had discovered her creations online and wanted to see the works exhibited in Chișinău came to the opening.


“Many people came because they knew me from social networks; they came to see my exhibition, and this is something I value a lot. It is a kind of justice for my merits as well. I am glad that we have a forum where we can talk about our art and our passions, and that we also have an audience that wants to see us and listen to us,” said Olga Chilat.






Originally from Chișinău, Olga Chilat studied law in Strasbourg, France, and later specialized in European affairs at a European school in Belgium. Her professional path led her to Brussels, where she has been working for six years as an economic analyst within the European Commission.

The exhibition “Beyond the Threshold – Folklore Translated into Contemporary Illustration” can be visited at the National Library of the Republic of Moldova, in the “Eminescu” Hall. The exhibition was opened as part of Diaspora Days, offering the public an incursion into the world of traditional symbols and stories, reinterpreted through the eyes of an artist who is building her professional life in Brussels.