Mosaic - "Labyrinth of Knowledge" - Chisinau

The mosaic File și trandafiri in Romanian (“Labyrinth of Knowledge”), created by Filimon Hămuraru in 1980, covers the facade of the Nikolai Gogol Lyceum in Chișinău. Flowing silver-grey ribbons wind red and orange walls represent an abstract labyrinth. The ribbons come together to create three stylized roses at the center and lower parts of the vertical panel. Interwoven among the labyrinth walls are mathematical and scientific symbols: the Greek letter omega, arithmetic signs for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and square root, the Latin letter “a,” geometric figures such as a cube, and various numbers. The vivid smalt tesserae in deep reds, fiery oranges, and bright yellows are densely set. The mosaic remains in good condition and is protected today by local authorities as part of the city’s monumental art heritage.