Viva Hanu

Viva Hanu is an architect and designer turned artist, mother of three, living and working in Bielsko-Biala, Poland.

Her creative journey began with founding Ciao Stories, a Mediterranean-inspired clothing line celebrating colour, light, and ease. Drawing on her architectural training and eye for harmonious form, she crafted garments that echoed sunlit shores and effortless style. Yet she found herself longing for an outlet that allowed for more immediate, tactile exploration beyond seams and fabric.

In 2023 in search of rejuvenation, she picked up a brush and began experimenting with paint as a personal retreat from the demands of running a fashion label. Her intuitively created, color-rich canvases quickly attracted a following online and at pop-up exhibitions. In 2025, she made the bold decision to close Ciao Stories and devote herself entirely to the freedom of painting.

Untrained in formal techniques, she leans on what she calls her “creative intelligence” to guide each work, layering vibrant pigments with spatulas and custom tools until textures rise in bold relief. Her color-saturated abstracts and geometric compositions celebrate both visual impact and physical presence, inviting viewers not just to see, but to touch and ...

I graduated with first-class honors from the University of Wrocław in 2006 (MSc in Art History) and the Technical University of Wrocław in 2010 (MA in Architecture).

Group Exhibition - Finalist of the Ignacy Bieniek Painting Contest, Bielsko-Biała, PL | 2023

Group Exhibition - Finalist of the Empik Painting Contest, Wrocław, PL | 2009

Graduation Project Exhibition - University of Wrocław, Wrocław, PL | 2010