LIVIA DOINA STANCIU
ABOUT ME
Bio
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 had one solo exhibition in Romania (2019, “Roaming the World”, at The National Library of Romania in Bucharest) and took part in few group participations in Romania. My art can be found in private collections in Romania and abroad (USA, Canada, Italy, France).
Statement
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 as a moment in the existence of faraway places and beings. The painting transforms as the memory matures, and ultimately develops a life of its own 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.
I started out by painting close-ups of flowers: a single plant or a small group, which looked so beautiful suspended in time and space, that they made the background all but disappear. Afterwards, I became interested in the symbiosis between plant life and the myriad small creatures that dwell within, such as birds and insects. But lately I find myself more drawn to the subtle dynamism of this world: either the pulsating crown of a tree in bloom, or the living energy spreading across a garden or hedge.
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).
Art Critic's Comments
“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)
Exhibitions
Solo Exhibitions
Group Exhibitions
Awards
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"
Publications
Contemporary Art Gallery Online 2017/2018 Anthology, Sharon Drinkard - Curator and Editor, 2019, ISBN 978-1-64633-218-2 (see page 162)
Media Links
Several online media references for my solo painting exhibition ("Cutreierand prin lume", 23 March - 3 April 2018, National Library of Romania, Bucharest; curator Roxana Barbulescu)
1. Radio Romania Cultural
2. Modernism
https://www.modernism.ro/?s=livia+stanciu
3 Ceasca de cultura
http://www.ceascadecultura.ro/Cauta.aspx?cuvinte="livia+stanciu"
Contact