LIVIA DOINA STANCIU

I was born and raised in Craiova, Romania. I have lived in Bucharest since 1980.

I have an Electrical Engineering MSc and a Telecom PhD from Politehnica University in Bucharest. I started my career as a computer engineer and later assistant professor at Politehnica University, but I changed fields and joined the corporate world in the '90s. I obtained an MBA in Finance and went on to hold management roles, in Romania and abroad, for about 20 years.

In 2013 I devoted myself to painting. After learning the basics on my own and taking private classes, I enrolled at the School of Art in Bucharest, from which I graduated in 2017. I graduated from the University of Fine Arts in Bucharest in 2019, majoring in Painting.

I paint in a realistic or quasi-impressionistic style and feels mostly attracted by oil techniques. As I continued to experiment with different themes and techniques, my manner evolved by incorporating elements of abstract, expressionism or minimalism.

Thematically, I have mostly been exploring flowers and the natural world, as well as land/ sea/ skyscapes. My travels are one important source of inspiration for my paintings.

I had two solo “brick &mortar” exhibitions in Romania (2023, “Dor de inaltimi”, and 2019, “Roaming the World”) and a few group participations in Romania and worldwide (online). My art received recognition in various contests and art events and can be found in private collections in Romania and abroad (USA, Canada, Italy, France).

For me, painting is the opportunity to explore the deep self and to communicate.

I am fascinated by shapes and colors, the kaleidoscope of the sky and earth, as well as the living world.

One of the main sources of inspiration for me are my travels: places where I've been, thoroughly enjoyed through all my senses, and stored as both memory and emotion. Whenever I think back at these memories, vivid sensations come back, which I then project onto the canvas. The painting transforms as the memory matures and put me into a state of tranquil contemplation and immersion into the natural and the universal.

Nature, and plant life in particular, has always fascinated me. Flowers, trees, gardens impress me so deeply that I feel compelled to express my emotions on canvas. Beauty, harmony, vitality and tenderness abound. They give that primal sense of joy that fills one's entire being, like a sunset or a child's smile.

During the pandemic years, the Over the Clouds series was a journey of painting rediscovery as well as a way for processing the full range of emotions I experienced.⁠

I will continue to experiment and discover the world through painting: it will evolve in sync with my existence. I hope that the reflection upon the self and upon the contemporary world would add a new dimension to my artworks.
 
I would be very happy if my paintings offered the viewer a glimpse of the beauty and emotion that inspired me to make them. I also hope that my paintings will fulfill a social responsibility purpose by donating my artworks or the sales proceeds to charitable causes (environment and education).

“While Livia Stanciu's decision to immortalize the faraway places she has been to may not be new, that which sets her work apart ... is the vision through which she captures these moments. Much like a well-composed photograph, her paintings transform mere images into spaces that take hold of our attention more than a story in words ever could.

I call her paintings "spaces" because, in spite of the physical boundaries or the two-dimensionality of the canvas, Livia manages to capture within them the entire atmosphere of the places she has traveled to: the varying qualities of light, the heat in the air, or a cool breeze. Seeing her paintings awakens all of your senses...

Always luminous, with clear and fine craftsmanship, Livia's work reveals an artist who pays close attention to the most minute details. She displays mastery of the painting techniques that she adapts to share her vision and point of view with her viewers.”

(Roxana Barbulescu, Artar Cultural Association, 2019)

Solo Exhibitions

• Apr 2023: “Dor de Inaltimi” (Longing for heights), Occidentului Gallery, Bucharest
• Oct 2021: “Livia Doina Stanciu – Artist Showcase”, online exhibition, awarded in the “19th Solo Art Series” competition organized by LightSpaceTime Art
• Mar-Apr 2019: "Cutreierand prin lume" (Roaming the world), National Library of Romania, Bucharest (Solo Exhibition, organized by Artar Cultural Association)

Group Exhibitions

• Nov 2020 – Jan 2021: Biennial-Art contest "Gheorghe Petraşcu", organized by The National Museum "Curtea Domnească" Târgovişte, Romania
• July 2019: DIPLOMA Exhibition of the graduates of 2019 Painting cohort, organized by UNARTE (University of Fine Arts, Bucharest), at UNA Galeria
• Sep-Oct 2017: “Contrasts”, Pullman Hotel, Bucharest (organized by Elite Prof Art Gallery)
• June 2017: "Windows to the world", Russian Center for Culture and Science, Bucharest (organized by the School of Art, Bucharest)
• July 2015: "Contemporary Art", Crowne Plaza Hotel, Bucharest (organized by Elite Prof Art Gallery)
• Nov 2014: "Autumn emotion", History and Archaeology Museum, Piatra Neamt, Romania (organized by Artout)

Feb 2022: Featured in the “Editor’s Pick Reflections competition” organized by Artists & Illustrators (The Chelsea Magazine Co LTD) with the artwork “Girl in a pond”

Jan 2022: Featured in the “Editor’s Pick Floral competition” organized by Artists & Illustrators (The Chelsea Magazine Co LTD) with the artwork “Orchids dance”

Oct 2021: Awarded "Special Merit" in the "11th Seascapes" online art exhibition (Paintings section) organized by LightSpaceTime for the artwork “Alone on the Beach”

July 2020: Special Merit award for the artwork “Lunch Date” in the "10th Anniversary" online competition organized by LightSpaceTime

June 2020: The artwork "Rooftops through the window" was selected for Favorites Gallery in the competition "View from my Window" organized by Artists & Illustrators Magazine

Jan 2020: Won Honorable Mention in "2019 Artist of the Year" competition by Circle Foundation for the Arts with "Chitchat on a Hot Day"

Aug 2018: Won the Third Place in "2018 All Abstraction" competition (by Contemporary Art Gallery Online) with "Tapestry"

Aug 2017: Won the Third Place in "2017 All Weather of the Seasons" competition (by Contemporary Art Gallery Online) with "Seasons' Crossroads"

Feb 2015: Participated at the Contemporary Art Auction organized by Artmark (art gallery & auction house) for Bucharest Stock Exchange Annual Event, with the artwork “The Sphinx”. The artwork was donated to the benefit of OvidiuRo NGO