Elias Popa is an ARTIST, Curator, Human Rights Advocate, Writer, & Restauranteur based in New York City. Through his work, Popa establishes a unique visual vocabulary of community through engendering moments of hospitality. His art creates space for the viewer to meditate and reflect on complex human desires through the use of tension, balance, endless repetition, & allegory. His art, as well as his curatorial works, have exhibited in New York, Hong Kong, & China to name a few. It was in his last home, Hong Kong, where he founded THE HUMAN RIGHTS NETWORK, a non-profit using art as a language for diplomacy & human rights. Popa is also the Executive Chef and Owner of OTI a New-American restaurant with true Romanian roots in Lower East Side NYC. Named after his mother, Oti’s mission is to deliver beautiful and honest hospitality through elevated traditional cuisine. In his free time, you can find Popa rock climbing, traveling, reading…and most of all, rarely sleeping.