Anca Stefanescu talks about her work with the curator Marta Grabowska for the Red Zenith Collective.
Anca Stefanescu (b, 1974) is a Romanian artist, working and living in London, whose paintings utilize the combination and integration
of both manual-painting and computer techniques.
A multidisciplinary artist, she came into public attention while she was still an art student at the National University of Arts,
Bucharest, through a series of performances, as a militant in the attempts of changing the academic curriculum into a contemporary one
as well as a performer, voice of the young women’s generation raised under a communist dictatorship. Prizing ideas over the art-making
artistic processes by the age of 24 she wrote a book entitled “Who am I?” that brought her the official selection to represent Romania
at Manifesta 3 – Ljubljana.
After years of exploring the human psyche revealing personal experiences as a performer, the last decade she explored thoughts and
emotions as vibrations translated into colours. Associating elements from her imaginary world with a culture based on yogic traditions,
her colourful works are both erratic and stable, ordered and chaotic.
Her method is developed by the trajectory of working and experimenting as a computer animation and visual effects artist for over 15
years. She discovered the world of CG graphics in the 90s soon after graduating in painting and conceptual art at The Art University in
Bucharest.
Focused on the relationship between polarities: physical painting and computer mark-making, she is concerned with the idea of creating
hybrid images which incorporate both computer sketched - virtual elements, as well as organic - material ones. By mixing computer
drawing with manual-traditional painting she is following the idea of creating a half-conscious state for the viewer, envisioning
exhibits not as a succession of fragments recognizable from reality, but as triggers to look inward into the world of thoughts and
ideas.
Romanian artist interweaves figurative painting with a combination of abstract expressionism and geometric abstraction, shifting
between flat forms of figuration and more abstract counterparts, adding a sense of theatricality to her revelations.
The metaphorical and figurative paintings explore the notion of identity and the settings that compose the texture of life in contrast
with the concept of time and space in metaphysical interpretation. “When I close my eyes, time or space do not exist, they are mere
concepts….and when I open them I validate the world I am perceiving as the frame of reference to what I wish to create and experience
through my own emotions”.
Stefanescu’s work is about contrast – between expansive and contractive, masculine and feminine, restraint and flow, but also physical
and non-corporeal, channeling her dreams, visions and revelations into the painted works.
"When I create I am like in a dream state and I ideate not just objects to be looked at, but an extension of my inner state, an out
of the body experience that will give to the viewer glimpses from another dimension… Paintings are solidified feelings on canvas and
when the observer is looking at them the feeling is again motion, moving out from the painting into the beholder’s perception.
I believe in this perfect continuum and all I care for are the emotions that I express through my intuition. Our thoughts and emotions
are vibrations and just like the colours they are the universal language which everyone instinctively understands.
While I am painting I do not think nor try to fill a void. I am just present in the eternal now in a constant joy and peace.
In my artworks I am focusing on the human body creating geometric patterns and forms to flatten out the space, which becomes no more
than an observational frame of reference.
There are two opposite aspects of how we function in the world today. One is dictated by the intellectual, organised mind represented
by rationalisation and the other is coming from the inner senses and emotions. One is rigid and organised and to some extent limited
and predictable the other is the surprise generator, the constant flow, the unpredictable. One is static the other one is in motion.
The idea of using two different techniques serves me to coalesce how we experience our physicality into one connected whole.
The artworks are originated from my computer paintings and painted using mixed media." Anca Stefanescu/2020
Education
1994-1999, National University of Arts – UNArte, Bucharest, Romania
1987-1993, Art High School, N. Tonitza, Bucharest, Romania.
Solo Exhibitions
2020, Solo Exhibition, The Need of Belonging, Romanian Cultural Institute, London, United Kingdom
2019, Solo Exhibition, Breathing Space, Open Studio Exhibition, London
2016, Bitter or Sweeter, Installation, Molecule-F, Bucharest, Romania
2015, LOVE ART, WEAR ART, Installation, Molecule-F, Bucharest, Romania
2014, Art & Fashion, Entrance, Bucharest, Romania
Biennials
2018, Biennial Larnaca, Cyprus, Multiple Locations
2017, RomArt Biennial, The International Biennial of Art and Culture in Rome, Italy
2017, Florence Biennale, Florence, Italy
1999, Manifesta 3 Ljubljana, Contemporary Art Biennial Slovenia, selected
1998, IntermediArt – Contemporary Art Biennial, Oradea, Romania
Exhibitions
2020, Resilience, Pop Up Exhibition, Mayfair, London, United Kingdom
2020, Wiltshire Creative Summer Open Exhibition, Salisbury Arts Centre, Salisbury, United Kingdom
2020, Solo Exhibition, The Need of Belonging, Romanian Cultural Institute, London, United Kingdom
2019, The Other Art Fair London, Art Fair by Saatchi Art, London, United Kingdom
2019, The Brick Lane Gallery, Contemporary Painting Exhibition, London, United Kingdom
2019, ALL Women Art Competition and Exhibition, Contemporary Art Gallery, Annapolis, MD, USA
2019, 2nd Annual Women Artists Art Exhibition, Fusion Art Gallery, Palm Springs, CA, USA
2018, The 2018 Open / No theme Art Exhibition, Contemporary Art Gallery Online, Annapolis, MD, USA
2018, Biennale Larnaca, Cyprus
2018, Sunny Art Prize Exhibition, London, United Kingdom
2018, NAG Art Gallery, Contemporary Exhibition, San Lorenzo Church, Florence, Italy
2018, Amsterdam Whitney Gallery, New York City, NY, USA
2018, World Art Dubai, Contemporary Art Fair, Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
2018, Jorge Jurado Gallery, Art Show, Bogota, Columbia
2018, ART Innsbruck, International Art Fair, Innsbruck, Austria
2018, All Women Art Exhibition, Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery, Jupiter, FL, USA
2018, Nature Online Exhibition, AntoNova Gallery, Jacksonville, FL, USA
2017, THE ROOM Gallery, Contemporary Art Space, Venice, Italy
2017, Open / No theme, Contemporary Art Gallery Online, Annapolis, MD, USA
2017, Patterns Art Exhibition, Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery, Jupiter, FL, USA
2017, Blue Art Show, Colors of Humanity Art Gallery, Everett, PA , USA
2017, Spectrum/Red Dot Miami, Contemporary Art Show, Miami, FL, USA
2017, RomArt Biennial, The International Biennial of Art and Culture in Rome, Italy
2017, Florence Biennale, Florence, Italy
2017, Alchemic Body | Fire. Air. Water. Earth, Jorge Jurado Gallery, Art Festival, Bogota, Columbia
2017, Annual International Representational Show, Federation of Canadian Artists (FCA), Granville Island Gallery, Vancouver, BC, Canada
2017, Nature Art Exhibition, Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery, Jupiter, FL, USA
2017, ALL Colors, Contemporary Art Gallery Online, Annapolis, MD, USA
2017, Geometry Online Exhibition, AntoNova Gallery, Jacksonville, FL, USA
2017, 3rd Annual Figures & Faces Exhibition, Fusion Art Gallery, Palm Springs, CA, USA
2017, Anima Mundi Visions, Palazzo Ca’ Zanardi Gallery, It’Liquid International Art Festival, Venice, Italy
2017, Animal Show, Colors of Humanity Art Gallery, Everett, PA, USA
2017, Art San Diego, Contemporary Art Show, San Diego, CA, USA
2017, Animals & Wildlife Online Exhibition, International Gallery Of The Arts, Toronto, ON, Canada
2017, Botanical Art Exhibition, Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery, Jupiter, FL, USA
2017, Femininity Art Online Exhibition, International Gallery Of The Arts, Toronto, ON, Canada
2016, Bitter or Sweeter, Installation @ Molecule-F Concept Store, Bucharest, Romania
2015, LOVE ART, WEAR ART, Installation @ Molecule-F Concept StoreBucharest, Romania
2014, Art & Fashion, Entrance Concept Store, Bucharest, Romania
2014, Romanian Design Week, "Timeless Collection" Anca Stefanescu X Alina Gavrila, Bucharest, Romania
2013, Book Cover Tee, Chapter 3, Bucharest, Romania
2012, Physical Education, 109 Fashion Film "The Place", Bucharest, Romania
2010, Opening of the new Gandy Gallery, Bratislava, Slovakia
2005, Fix Alert (Art Film) - Art Director, Bucharest, Romania
2004, 20 Minutes of Glory, Video Installation, MNAC Centre, Bucharest, Romania
2000, Other P’Art, Mission Art Gallery, French Institute, Polish Institute, M.A.M.Ü. Galley, Budapest, Hungary
2000, Studio 498, Eforie Gallery, Bucharest, Romania
2000, Other P’Art International, Art Camp, Tihany, Hungary
1999, Urban Feelings – Urban Facts, Graz-Maribor, Austria-Slovenia
1999, Selected at the Contemporary Art Biennial Manifesta 3 Ljubljana, Slovenia 1998
1999, IntermediArt – Contemporary Art Biennial, Oradea, Romania
Publications
Le Monde Diplomatique September 2020, pag. Cover, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17
Aesthetica Apr/May 2018 issue 81, pag. 158
NAG Gallery - Arte Contemporanea 2018, p. 56-63
Anima Mundi - ITS Liquid International Art Show Venice 2017, p. x
Federation of Canadian Artists, Annual International Representation 2017, p. x
Aesthetica Feb/Mar 2018 issue 81, pag. 158
Aesthetica Dec/Jan 2018 issue 80, pag. 157
Glamour UK, vol. 6, June 2017, p. 206
Art & Beyond Chicago, USA, vol. 45, May-June 2017, p. 26
Glamour UK, vol. 6, June 2017, p. 206, vol. 5, May 2017, p. 198, vol. 4, April 2017, p. 202
Unica Romania, vol. 7. July 2016, p. 51
Beaumonde Romania, vol. 12, December 2015, p. 71
Villa Design, Romania, vol. 5, June-November 2011, p. 56-63, p. 162 (back cover)
Collaboration
2015 – Present, Co-Founder & Designer – COML, London, UK
COLOURS OF MY LIFE is the vision of the artists Anca and Cristian Stefanescu, a Romanian couple with a love story as colourful as their ‘wearable art’ project. Drawn together by a common interest in concepts and ideas as exploration of emotion, a love of creating art as ‘solidified feelings on objects’ as well and an utmost respect for one another work, they created the brand Colours Of My Life – COML. Dubbing the encounter as love at first sight, the duo collaborated on each collection offering limited-edition or unique artwear items, hand-made pieces of bags and accessories for women.
2013 – 2015, Co-Founder & Creative Director – Diorama Concept, London, UK
2004 – 2015, DI Colourist – Multimedia Est, Bucharest, Romania
Production and Post Production House.
Collaborated as a DI Colourist or Art Director in vanguard commercials for brands as Vodafone, Volksbank, Coca Cola, Nestle, Avon, Orange, Philips, P&G, Hochland, SAB Miller, Millenium Bank, Raiffeisen Bank, and worked with significant advertising agencies from UK, Romania, Poland, USA.
1997 – 2002, Graphic Designer and Illustrator – Abis Studio, Bucharest, Romania
Production and Post Production House for short films, corporate films and music videos.
Anca Stefanescu Catalogue2021
Social media
https://www.instagram.com/anca.f.stefanescu
https://www.facebook.com/ancafrancescastefanescu