BIOGRAPHY
I am an artist, curator and creative director living in Somerset, UK. Within my practice, I consider themes of wellbeing and self care including how artists with disabilities and caring responsibilities can sustain a thriving and exciting art practice. Public engagement, collaboration and playfulness are integral to the activity of co-creation within my work. Working with diverse processes and mediums, I incorporate found and recycled materials to create immersive and interactive artworks.
I am interested in testing and transcending perceived boundaries of art often drawing knowledge from non-art disciplines such as mythology including the folktales from my Romanian heritage, paranormal phenomena and science fiction. Blurring the lines between the rational and the irrational to challenge and dismantle perceptions of reality. Aiming to validate the intangible and unquantifiable aspects of our human existence as a source of innate wisdom to aid healing and wellbeing.
In 2022, I was awarded a Develop Your Creative Practice (DYCP) grant by Arts Council England.
In 2020, I co-founded and became Creative Director of HEARTHSTONE Ways CIC, an artist-led organisation bringing creativity as a form of wellbeing to communities in the South West through immersive and event based socially-engaged projects and workshops.
In 2019, I co-curated and was a contributing artist of the Arts Council England Project Grant funded B-Wing exhibition in Shepton Prison. I continue to develop art projects and opportunities for artists within the prison such as the Artist Prison Residencies in September 2021 and Artist Remote Residency Programme in April 2022.
ARTIST CV
Born London 1972
BA (Hons) in Fine Art Kingston University
Arts Award Advisor, Trinity College London
Co-Founder & Creative Director of HEARTHSTONE Ways CIC
Awards
2022 Arts Council England - Developing Your Creative Practice (DYCP) grant.
2022 Somerset Art Works - Project Development Bursary.
2021 a-n Artist Information Company - Time, Space, Money artist bursary.
2021 SEED Sedgemoor - Artist Commission.
2020 Somerset Art Works - Artist Micro Commission.
2019 Arts Council England - Project Grant for B-Wing exhibition.
2019 The Ganes Trust - Artist Grant.
2018 Somerset Art Works - Creative Pathways Bursary
Curated Projects
2022 Outside In Group exhibition & events at Shepton Mallet Prison, Somerset - Curator & Artist.
Supported by OPEN Mental Health Community Grant.
2022 Artist Prison Residencies (Online) programme – Co-curator.
2021 Artist Prison Residencies Shepton Mallet Prison, Somerset - Co-curator & Artist in Residence.
Supported by Shepton Mallet Town Council Community Grant & OPEN Mental Health Community Grant.
2021 Pathways to Happiness Community Creative Wellbeing project, HEARTHSTONE Ways CIC - Curator & Lead Artist.
Supported by Somerset Skills & Learning Community Project Grant.
2020 – Virtual Happenings Group exhibition for Virtual Fringe Arts Bath Festival - Curator & Artist.
2019 – B-Wing Group exhibition & events at Shepton Mallet Prison. Supported by ‘Lottery Funding from Arts Council England’ - Co-curator & Artist.
Exhibitions & Residencies
2021 – End of the World Tarot – Restrictions exhibition, Clayhill Arts Somerset
2019 – Love is Blind – City of Secrets exhibition, Liberty House, Bristol
2019 – Artist Residency - Mothership, Dorest.
2018 – Hare Woman (Julian Cox) – Book Launch in collaboration with author and historian Andrew Pickering.
2018 – Fetus Totem (Green) – Bruton Art Society Exhibition 65th Annual show Bruton, Somerset.
2018 – Fetus Totem – Arts Open Exhibition, Town Hall Arts Trowbridge, Wiltshire.
2018 – Domestic Bliss – HONESTY SHOP part of the ‘The Land We Live – The Land We Left Behind’ Exhibition – Hauser & Wirth Gallery, Somerset.
CAREER BREAK DUE TO CARING RESPONSIBILITIES
2007 – One Year Artist residency – Those People Productions, Cardiff, South Wales.
2005 – ‘Penny Collectors‘ short film script award production grant by Welsh Film Council.
2004 – Work featured in AN Magazine
2003 – ‘Mother‘ – Chapter Gallery, ‘Experimentica’ exhibition, Cardiff, South Wales.
2002 – ‘Home Town‘ – chosen by the British Arts Council to represents emerging British Artist in Milan, Italy.
2002 – ‘Home Town‘ – Gallery 39, Cardiff, South Wales.
2001 – ‘Noble Offerings‘ Book Art piece became part of the permanent collection at Victoria & Albert Museum, London.
2000 – Curator and exhibiting artist – Domestic Gallery “Here & There” exhibition, London.
2000 – Three months residency at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera, Milan, Italy