‘Art And Consumerism’ - graduation project Painting 2008; 130×100cm, oil on printed canvas.

I actually can’t believe it’s finally over: I’m not a student anymore. I graduated today, meaning that I’m one step closer towards being a grown-up. I graduated Painting at the Art University of Timisoara, Romania, so I can actually call myself an artist from now on. My project was entitled ‘Art And Consumerism‘ and showed the process of creating a palpable, 3D, consumable object - ‘the handbag‘ - using the same painted canvas which symbolizes the ‘art work‘. My written project contained references to collaborations between contemporary artist and luxury fashion brands such as: Richard Prince and Takashi Murakami for Louis Vuitton, James Jean for Prada, Richard Phillips for Jimmy Choo, Jeff Koons for Stella McCartney, and many more influences that art had/has all-around the fashion world.

The second painting represents the human touch, somebody who tried to tear the canvas apart to create something literally useful, not just eye pleasing. Also, the symbols of handbags which can be seen painted on the first canvas, appear to have almost fallen off the canvas in the second piece of the project. It’s those symbols which help the actual transformation from a symbolic ‘art piece’ to a palpable, consumable, useful product: ‘the handbag’.

At the opening of the graduate exhibition with my handbag-art-piece installation in the back.

Top photos: two of my best friends who helped organizing the exhibit: Smaranda and Isabela; bottom: my classmates - I am so curious how many of them will work as actual painters for a living in 10 years from now. I guess I’ll have to wait a while for that.

I am quite lucky to have very supportive parents and I needed a few years to really understand how important they were and still are for me. They came just for the exhibition opening and to see me, so I couldn’t not post them. Pretty funny that there is also a Romanian flag in the back (the gallery is actually in an army building).

Precious moments don’t happen everyday; I am just appreciating and sharing.