Irina Patasanu

Lives and works in Bucharest, Romania

Artist statement

For me, painting is a way of giving form to things that are difficult to define such as emotions, relationships, moments of introspection and the subtle ways in which we experience the world around us. My work moves intuitively between figuration and abstraction. I am interested in simplifying rather than describing, reducing figures and forms to what feels essential and leaving space for ambiguity. Faces may remain undefined, gestures become more important than identity, and familiar forms are often transformed through colour, texture and composition. I rarely begin with the intention of telling a complete story. Instead, I allow a painting to develop through layers, contrasts and instinctive decisions, responding to what emerges on the canvas. This process leaves room for uncertainty and for meanings that are not predetermined. I want my paintings to feel open rather than resolved, to create a space in which the viewer can recognise something of their own experience, without being told exactly what to see or feel.

Artwork