Art in Conversation with Maria Antoniac
ABOUT THE ARTIST
I didn't realise when I've started painting that I would like to become an artist. It was the only way to express the frustration of living in a communist society. It's a natural consequence of Communism rule to restrict artistic creation, but actually, the opposite happened - the artists became more creative. The terrifying challenge of being found by the authorities with a forbidden book or forbidden music gave me my freedom to paint slaves and monsters, angels and demons.
MARIA ANTONIAC
Visual Artist | United Kingdom
Artist Statement
Ever since I was very young I have been fascinated by the limits of a brainwashed society of the human condition.
My main theme reflects the deterioration of the human condition in our society. The sacrament of humans reflected in landscapes turns the surprise of a simple aspect of nature into moments of intrigue, encouraging the viewer to design a story, most often with a touch of magic, of the unknown, of a world in which everything seems to be possible. My challenge to the public is to step out of the ordinary, to make the impossible, possible.
As for the portraits, my characters seem cursed to reveal their specific vulnerabilities, and my surrealistic subiects are stubborn, highly humanized, and expressive, such as King Owlzard.
Like every human, I have two sides, two incompatible faces. As an artist, I am a storyteller. The stories came from the mirror of my subconscious mind. Fighting the external reality is like punching this mirror when our lives are lined up with several hundreds of small reflections. In our society, vices replace virtues. The contemporary crisis highlighted the moral model crisis as well.
The shyness and moral scruple disappear. Unfortunately, there are enough of us who make life so sub1ect of vices, they really get to live two deaths - because, in addition to physical death, the spiritual death - painless and sly - come early.
MARIA ANTONIAC (Anne Tognaq)
Born 3rd of September 1967, Radauti, Romania
STUDIES
1985 – High School E Hurmuzachi Radauti Romania 1986-1988 – studied fine arts at Academy of Arts Bucharest, Romania
2004 - Grafik - DTP, Institut fur Berufliche Bildung AG, Freiburg im Breisgau
2007 – Mixed technique and experimental painting Bergische VHS Wuppertal, Germania
PERSONAL EXHIBITIONS
1996- ODEON Theatre, Bucharest
1998- Teatrul Mic, Bucharest
2002 Hotel Majestic, Mangalia
2006- Haus Schnee, Wuppertal, Germany
2007- Makris Hall, Wuppertal, Germany
2007 – Art Gallery Radauti, Suceava
2008- Riverview Gallery, Portsmouth Virginia, SUA 2008- Jewish Mother, Virginia Beach, Virginia SUA 2008- Madams Organ, Washington DC, SUA
2009-World Trade Center Bucharest
2010- La Scena Bucharest
2011-Shopping City Gallery, Suceava
2017 - Moderna Art Gallery, Southampton, UK
2019 - London College of Contemporary Arts, London, UK
2019 - Art3f, Paris, France
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2008 – „Harborfest“, CBAA (Chesapeake Bay Art Association), Norfolk, VA
2008 – Virginia Art Show
2008 – Crystal Flight, Crystal City, SUA
2008 – Art on the deck, Portsmouth VA – best in show prize 2009- Pay it Forward, Bucharest
2010- Save an Artist, Bucharest
2016 - Tiger Yards Group, Southampton