Ionela Truica

I do not paint what I see; I paint and discover who I am. My art is an unedited, raw manifestation of the subconscious—a space where my hand flows, allowing the paint to guide itself without the restriction of rational thought or premeditated judgment. I create from a place of pure, surrender to the canvas.

However, this process is not seamless. Because my work requires to open my deepest undercurrents, I experience intense, paralyzing creative blocks. These periods of silence are driven by fear—the terror of exposing my rawest vulnerabilities and the profound fright of being truly, deeply seen by the world. Painting, for me, means tearing down my defenses, and there are many moments when the fear of that exposure completely freezes my hand.

My paintings are not therapeutic; they do not seek to heal or soothe. Instead, they are instruments of uncompromising self-discovery and internal warfare. Through heavy textures, visceral colors, and instinctive strokes, I map my most intense pains, structural frustrations, and silent longings. By letting my subconscious eventually conquer my fear and take control of the palette, I excavate things buried deep within myself. My work is an invitation to meet me in that unmasked, unfiltered spa...

'Ion Mincu' University of Architecture and Urbanism in Bucharest