Anca, I finally made it to your studio, on Tipografiei 16th :) Who do you paint for, who's your public?
Peers. However, my painting is not hermetic, I assume that the public is varied, but I confess that mentally, I refer to an audience with artistic education, but I don’t find in this a limit in the interaction with my works.
Do you have a message in mind for the audience while painting?
I’m thinking of content but I wouldn’t label it as a “message”. The message implies a premise in which the artist wants to launch a coherent, palpable, intelligible, round content towards the viewer, or I do not intend to place messages. At most an invitation to the world of my works, I cannot guarantee that I will deliver unanimously intelligible and coherent content, much less palpable or round, although I admire the painters (artists) who succeed in this.
To what extent do you accept the intrusion of the public inside the works and, implicitly, in the psychology of the author, that is, in your psychology? Do you keep some distance between you and the audience?
I don’t feel very exposed through my works because I approach a broader form, even of some personal themes. I’m talking about loneliness. It’s something that belongs to everyone, so it’s not a very intimate feeling. The way I relate to loneliness is personal and of course this gives particularity to my works but it doesn’t say something deep about me, I can only hope that I’m saying something deep about humans.
Do you believe in the "aura" of the work of art?
Yes. An iconic work has an aura and with it remains in history. I don’t know if this is a conscious construct of the artist, maybe it’s more of a status assigned by posterity.
How much does your art depend on the location / space you work in?
It depends less on the space where I work and more on the space where I am going to exhibit it or where I think it should be exhibited. I like to create a connection between the works and the way in which the space imposes a certain access on you to view the works of art.
What is the most difficult part of creating a painting?
In my case it’s the starting tone. For me everything is in the “beginning”. There is a tuning fork somewhere in me that I have to catch from the first gestures that give the sentence of a work. If the first half an hour has a rhythm, the rest of the stages just fold like in a domino, everything becomes clear and logical.
How do you think / see the relationship between intention, planning, execution and the final product?
Everything is focused on execution, it’s all I remember about any work I did. Intention is more of a conceptual or emotional framework sometimes, in which the painting happens, in which it evolves. I think I see my practice as a continuous movement, that’s why I feel more attached to the process than to the result.
How do you switch to „doing” mood in moments without inspiration?
I don’t believe in inspiration. At least not in that inspiration that is thought to suddenly descend on the artist. It’s a myth. At most, I believe in a continuous flow of ideas that creates a context in which a concept is born. I rather believe in assimilation, search, interrogation and critical spirit that helps me take on my ideas and find the right form of expression.
Tell me three artists that you like, motivate you and make you get started.
I rather like artists who work outside the painting environment. I like directors and choreographers. But if would have to limit myself to the fine arts, I always stop at the artists who work in a monumental way, Richard Serra, Tara Donovan, Tauba Auerbach, Pia Camil, Jannis Kounellis, Ellsworth Kelly. I am motivated by the practice of young artists from Cluj, I get started by visiting the workshops of my colleagues, and generally the discussions about art and ideas stimulate me.
How do you see your role as a painting teacher?
I wouldn’t have guessed that this role would give me so much excitement. It is certainly a cliché to say that this profession is a privilege, but it’s the most honest characterization. Moreover, the most interesting thing that happens is that the pedagogical act is not one-way, teacher-student but vice versa. My role is to provide them with directions that, whether they embrace them or fight them, is a process that helps them get to know each other. It’s surprising, but students enter college with far more prejudices than you would expect. I mean preconceptions about techniques, painting, art, artists, and culture. I see this as a shortcoming of the pre-university education system. Most of the time, my role as a teacher also means a reset for students.
