© Adrian Cojocaru
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Reflecting a deep commitment to the craft of painting and a profound engagement with contemporary society, the works of Adrian Cojocaru (b.1993, Romania) celebrate human experience in all its depth and diversity.
Adrian's journey as an artist began amidst the stark contrasts between Eastern and Western Europe, a narrative that threads through his creative process. Raised in Romania during a time of major societal transformation following the fall of the communist regime, Adrian bore witness to the intricate dance between hope and reality. The promise of a brighter future was met with a complex and often harsh actuality. Families, including Adrian's own, were compelled to seek opportunities in other European nations, leaving behind the landscapes of their youth and entrusting their children to extended family members. Adrian's early years unfolded within this transient existence, until the day his parents brought him to Italy—a poignant transition that left him grappling with deep questions of identity and belonging.
This weighty sense of displacement has become a silent undercurrent in Adrian's works. Drawing inspiration from the extensive personal image archive, acquired by employing walking as part of his artistic practice, art history and popular culture references, the expansive canvases offer a glimpse into the repetitiveness of human work and hidden nature of jobs that often elude casual observation.
The early connection to music instilled in Adrian a sensitivity to the nuances of rhythm, harmony, and juxtaposition, qualities that find expression in his visual art. Adrian meticulously mulls his own pigments and employs a thoughtful blend of techniques, from the traditional manner of painting thin layers upon layers, to instances that reveal the canvas's underneath or even exposed underpainting, creating a texture that mirrors the complexity of contemporary life.
Adrian's background as a copywriter in advertising and his culinary experience in the world of fine dining serve as rich sources of inspiration, as he gravitates toward saturated colors and usually infuses his compositions with witty textual elements, often in the form of wordplay.
Depicting both cognitive and affective maps of the artist, the paintings extend an invitation to the viewer, encouraging them to uncover hidden narratives and moments often overlooked and to delve deeper into the layers of meaning.