Biography
Romanian, b. 1974, UK based
Anca Stefanescu (b. Ignatescu, 1974) is a Romanian artist, working and living in London, whose paintings utilize the combination and
interweaving of both manual-painting and digital techniques.
The method is developed by the trajectory of working as a digital animation and visual effects artist for over 15 years. She discovered
the world of Digital or CG graphics in the 90s soon after graduating in painting and conceptual art at The Art University in Bucharest.
Focused on the relationship between hand-painted and digitally-created mark-making, she is equally concerned with the relationship
between the age of digitalization and half-conscious experiences.
The works are produced from digital paintings which Stefanescu creates using various computer software such as Illustrator, Animator
and Photoshop. They are then printed in ultra-chrome inks on canvas and painted, shifting between flat, geometric shapes of color and
gestural, abstract planes using acrylic paint.
“I am concerned with the idea of creating hybrid images which incorporate both computer-generated, virtual elements as well as organic,
material ones.
There are two opposite aspects of how we function in the world today. One is dictated by the intellectual, organised mind represented
by the digitalisation, 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
is in motion.This idea serves me to coalesce all that we experience today into one connected whole.”
“The dreamer dreams, and when the dreamer within the dream awakens then I create.”
Anca Stefanescu’s 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”.
Working in acrylic and oil on canvas, she presents the human body in partially abstract compositions, creating geometric patterns and forms to flattening out the space. “I like to envision exhibits not as a succession of fragments of what we recognize from reality, but as triggers to look inward into the world of thoughts and ideas from where all the creation springs.”
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 traumatized 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 representing Romania at Manifesta 3 – Ljubljana.
After the years of exploring the human psyche revealing personal traumatic 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.
Anca Stefanescu‘s paintings merge the joy of simple gestures with the rigour of geometry in a complex dance between form and colour, the abstract and the figurative. She uses combined media, interweaving of both manual-painting and digital techniques to create half-conscious state for the viewer, describing her working process as: “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. For me creation is fundamentally an expression of love through extension.”
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, 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
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)
Awards
“5th Place Award” ALL Women Artist, Contemporary Art Gallery Online - Annapolis, MD, USA, March 2019
“6th Place Award” Open / No theme, Contemporary Art Gallery Online - Annapolis, MD, USA, February 2019
Honourable Mention” 2nd Annual Women Artists Art Exhibition, Fusion Art Gallery, Palm Springs, CA, USA, January 2019
“Honourable Mention” Artist of the Year 2017 Award, Circle Foundation for the Arts Magazine - Lyon, France January 2018
“Special Merit” All Women Art Exhibition, Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery - Jupiter, FL, USA, January 2018
“2rd Place Award” Nature Online Exhibition, AntoNova Gallery - Jacksonville, FL, USA, January 2018
“Competition Winner” Open / No theme, Contemporary Art Gallery Online - Annapolis, MD, USA, December 2017
“Special Merit” Patterns Art Exhibition, Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery - Jupiter, FL, USA, December 2017
“Special Recognition” Patterns Art Exhibition, Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery - Jupiter, FL, USA, December 2017
“3rd Place Award” Geometry Online Exhibition, AntoNova Gallery, Jacksonville, FL, USA, November 2017
“Special Merit” Nature Art Exhibition, Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery - Jupiter, FL, USA, November 2017
“Special Recognition” Nature Art Exhibition, Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery - Jupiter, FL, USA, November 2017
“3rd Place Award” The 3rd Annual Figures & Faces Online Exhibition, Fusion Art Gallery, Palm Springs, CA, USA, October 2017
“3rd Place Award” The 2017 American Art Awards - Skyforest, CA, USA, September 2017
“6th Place Award” The 2017 American Art Awards - Skyforest, CA, USA, September 2017
“3rd Place Award” Animals & Wildlife Exhibition, International Gallery Of The Arts - Toronto, ON, Canada, September 2017
“Certificate of Excellence” Artavita Art Contest - Santa Barbara, CA, USA, September 2017
“Special Recognition” Botanicals Art Exhibition, Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery - Jupiter, FL, USA, August 2017
“Special Merit” Botanicals Art Exhibition, Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery - Jupiter, FL, USA, August 2017
“Special Recognition” Botanicals Art Exhibition, Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery - Jupiter, FL, USA, August 2017
“Honourable Mention” Femininity Art Contest, International Gallery Of The Arts - Toronto, ON, Canada, July 2017
“Certificate of Excellence” Artavita Art Contest - Santa Barbara, CA, USA, July 2017
“The Publisher Choice Award” Art & Beyond Magazine - Chicago, IL, USA, June 2017
Membership
Society of Scottish Artists
Circle Foundation
Experience
2015 – Present, Co-Founder & Designer – COLOURS OF MY LIFE, 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
Offers wearable art for those who are passionate for interior design and appreciate art in the form of accessories. Designed all the items and the graphics used on each item.
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.
Social media
https://www.instagram.com/anca.f.stefanescu
https://www.facebook.com/ancafrancescastefanescu
