Artist Viorica Ciucanu was born in 1961, in the village of Potoci, near of Ceahlău mountain. She first trained in the studio of the artist Arcadie Răileanu, then she studied painting in the academic environment of the “George Enescu” National University of Arts in Iași.

Interview

For starters, please tell us your story and a few things about your artistic journey.

V.C. - When I finished high school, art couldn't be my choice. There are times when you can and others when you can't choose a certain path to go on in life. It's so simple and so complicated at the same time ... In 2006 I started studying with the artist Arcadie Răileanu. I like to say that I studied at "Răileanu University". At the time, it seemed too late to go to an art university. However, I already had 12 personal exhibitions and over 50 participations in group exhibitions in the country and abroad, but to find my "place in the puzzle", in 2017 I was admitted to the National University of Arts "George Enescu" Iași and it didn't seem too late anymore.

View of Ceahlău mountain

What are you looking for in art and daily practice?

In my artistic practice I focus on 3 main concepts / projects with which I work constantly: Contemplating, where the main subject is the Ceahlău mountain, the surroundings and other dear places where I travel.

The 5 elements: earth, water, air, fire and spirit. The joining of these elements gives shape to the world and are closely related to the golden number 1,618 which has a very special importance, especially in art. It is considered the most beautiful number in the entire universe. Both the soul and the human body are subject to the laws that govern the harmony of the cosmos, so that the micro and macro-cosmos, the world we live in, appear mathematically and aesthetically connected at the same time. This phi number, the ancients believe, was dictated by God.

The artist in her studio

 
Human complexity, a project that makes a foray into recent history, from Don Quixote, the Myth of Sisyphus to Iphon and Drona, in the idea that art is what facilitates communication in time and space, people have the same anxieties and only differ the way of expression according to time and the discoveries of the weather. On this concept, we organized traveling exhibitions at the Bal Shem Tov Synagogue in Piatra Neamț, the Labyrinth Gallery in Iași and the Galateca Gallery, Bucharest.

I am not looking for a realistic reproduction of the visible, but for its vision. As Mondrian used to say, "what does the eye remember when it chooses to forget the visible world?" Today we live in a very good period for art, I think, in which there are not so many barriers and restrictions. The contemporary artist has total freedom of expression. Contemporary art wants to stimulate not only the eye of the beholder, but also his mind.

Which are the art techniques that you prefer and in which you think you express yourself best?

From a technical point of view, I work a lot in oil, I often resort to painting on old wood and I also have a penchant for performance. I recently made a conceptual work - a "gate" on a hill in my village Potoci, oriented in the direction of Mount Ceahlau, which I called Liberation.

Talk briefly about your most special experiences.

I had the privilege of participating in many creative and documentary camps and events, completed with exhibitions in Italy, in Genoa, Florence, Perugia, Siena, Sardinia and others in Turkey and Spain.

Which artists inspire your work?

I find inspiration in the work of Rembrandt, Paul Klee, Wassily Kandinsky, Joan Miro and the performance of Marina Abramovici. Brâncuși is the one who profoundly influenced my modern concept of creation, formally combining the simplicity of Romanian folk art with the refinement of the Parisian avant-garde.