WIN Gallery: You were born in Constanța, but Bucharest became your "home." What has this change meant to you, at a philosophical level? How has it shaped your identity as an artist and as a person?
Mihai Tugearu: Constanța remains the place where I started out, while Bucharest became the place where I matured as an artist. Here, I learned to embrace my artistic path and to persevere. The move did not distance me from myself; on the contrary, it forced me to define myself more clearly. Bucharest shaped me through its challenges.
WIN Gallery: How present is your Aromanian heritage in your personal life, and when do you feel the strongest connection to your roots?
Mihai Tugearu: My Aromanian heritage is present in my life in a discreet, but profound way. I find it in my respect for tradition and in my relationship with the sacred. It is a silent presence that accompanies me constantly. I don't feel the need to explain it, but I do feel the need to live it.
WIN Gallery: Your works are deeply connected to the sacred. What was the moment of revelation or personal experience that decisively oriented you toward sculpture?
Mihai Tugearu: Sculpture came to me naturally, as a need to work with matter. There was no moment of revelation, but rather a slow approach. The sacred was not a chosen theme, but an inner response; it was my way of understanding the world.
WIN Gallery: You have created altars for churches in several countries, including the Orthodox Cathedral in Montreal. How do you feel when you know that your work becomes part of the spiritual life of a community far from home?
Mihai Tugearu: When a work becomes part of the spiritual life of a community outside the country, I feel a great responsibility. Sculpture is a form of connection between people and their roots. It then takes on a role that goes beyond aesthetics, it becomes a living memory.
