Ioana Rusu is a visual artist from Iași, Romania, currently pursuing a master’s degree at the “George Enescu” University of Arts, specializing in Photography and Video Art. Her artistic practice navigates between two extremes: reality and fiction, contextualizing corresponding elements of everyday life within a constructed mental territory. She utilizes photography, installation, and video as tools for expression or shaping human perceptions, with a focus on anthropological and psychological themes related to her interest in how memory, trauma, and perception function.
You can follow Ioana on her Instagram profile: https://www.instagram.com/ioanaaa.rs/
Q&A with Ioana Rusu
When did you discover your passion for art, and what does art mean to you?
I think I’ve always been intrigued by this field, but for a good part of my life, I lived in a context where art was placed last, so for a long time, I didn’t exactly understand what it meant.
I discovered my passion for photography when I received a camera in the 5th grade; I used to play with it continuously. I still play with it, but with purpose. The realization that I could use this medium as a tool for reinterpreting ideas came later.
For me, art is a means of expression or shaping human perceptions. Of course, there’s also this emotional relationship that makes me connect with myself and discover who I am. I question topics centered on the individual, and it’s inevitable not to find out where I stand in relation to them.
I’ve only been in the field for 5 years, and my definition of art expands every few months.
Describe yourself briefly: what do you like, what moves you, what revolts you?
“The act of leaving” is my favorite moment of catharsis, where I know who I am and feel surrounded by possibilities, inspired.
I really like beginnings, and I’d like to live in them because I reinvent myself continuously and tend to get bored quickly. I like simple things but not banal, contrasts, surrealism.
Cinematography moves me; I watch “Amelie” and romanticize my life with naivety.
I’m revolted by people’s ignorance, inequalities, traditionalism—all the social expectations that stem from here.
Describe your artistic vision: sources of inspiration, methods, messages you want to convey to the audience.
I like to define my artistic practice as experimental and poetic. The projects I do start from small hints related to existence, which provoke a series of questions that lead to interpretation.
My interest is focused on how the human mind perceives the outside world and distorts reality, influenced by personal experiences. So, I research topics that revolve around the relationship between memory, behavior, and imagination. After I realize that I want to convey my perspective, chaos begins. I say this because I’m not a systematic person; I enter a certain atmosphere and let my intuition guide me.
I experiment a lot with photography, video, and sometimes installation. I can’t focus on just one place; I’m fascinated by the possibilities of expression, and sometimes I feel overwhelmed by thoughts I want to develop and present to people.
Who has influenced you on your journey so far and why?
I am greatly influenced by any interaction I have; there are too many people to mention. I’ve always been irreversibly seduced by passionate people who burn with a desire to create, who don’t settle for little; that motivates me. I call them world-changers.
Which of your works do you like the most, and what does it mean to you?
It’s hard for me to choose one; I like them when they are in progress. They stay with me, they are mine, but if I can’t open a new dialogue through them, I can’t say I’m satisfied. I love all the projects that generate new interpretations of a subject, make me think deeply, beyond my initial expectations.
What has been the most joyful moment in your career so far?
I enjoy the exhibitions’ setup; the process has become very important to me.
What do you expect from the Accelerator Brașov program?
The Accelerator Brașov program exceeded my expectations, precisely because of the valuable people I had around me. I found myself in a context I hadn’t experienced before.
Which other artist do you like and find inspiring, and why?
There’s a vulnerability in Maya Deren’s videos that made me embrace my sensitivity. At the same time, I’m inspired by her approach to the subconscious or the space-time manipulations she does. I really like avant-gardists.
What are your future plans?
I prefer not to make plans. Right now, I want to keep my enthusiasm and work on projects continuously.
Works of the Artist
in Fabulating About a Gelato Machine Exhibition
