Our featured artist this week is Lia Pentilescu
"Workingwiththethemeofecology(humans/animals relationship totheworld), my work covers the concept of water and its timeless energy. Having researched water, my interest springed from Timothy Morton’s book ‘Hyperobjects’ and the fact that water could be considered a hyperobject (something above whole human understanding ,that transcends time and space) So I have made pieces with that research in mind , showing water in the bassist form and also the form of which I understand it. My work features colourful pieces that present water as an embodiment of colour itself as well as a more monochrome view of water , it is a perception of how water may reflect colour. Some may see it as either natural colours or synthetic and bright colours that reflect human tampering like oil spills, chemical secretion. Regardless, it is the fact of water, it cannot escape human interference, either way it has become a new ‘natural’ for us in the year of 21."
Selected artwork:
Artworks in order:
Title: Watery Bodies, 2021, Alcohol ink and water on YUPO paper, A3 "Three experiments of how water reacts and forms relationships with the canvas and other liquid counterparts. The only movement in the process of making requires no brush or tool , but just the tool that the elements provide us such as wind/blowing,tilting, dripping. I try to minimize as much human interaction with this experiment as possible and reduce the process to the bassist of levels. Through this we see an unfiltered, raw reaction of water itself and its transformation laid bare and honest to our eyes. It is simply, to put it bluntly -playing with water." Continental Waters, 2021, Collage of Alcohol ink and water on YUPO paper, A3 "An amalgamation of water bodies. It was Inspired by meanders and how one water body could contort in such a way that seems so natural. I proceeded to follow the natural path of the ink and water, with my carving knife to isolate swirls and shapes. Afterwards, a composition was made with the isolated cutouts." Elemental, 2021, Alcohol Ink , A3 "Based on stone,minerals and eroded surfaces made by the presence of water." Stream Point, 2021, Ink,watercolour on watercolour paper, A4 "A piece that started as an experiment then turned into a joyous accident when my watercolour pot turned over and created a puddle on my canvas. This image struck me as that in itself could be called a miniature lake. A microcosm of a body of water .It has dust and microscopic bacteria on the canvas as well as other unknown entities from the tap water." Cascada, 2021, Ink and Watercolour on watercolour paper, A4
"This also came from another spillage. I simply let the water do what it will and flow how it liked in the canvas and I let it dry out leaving behind the traces of its journey.After observing the end result it looked like a single flow of water reminding me of a waterfall, a cascade."