Empower Artists has entered the jovial and playful, but at the same time serious and sober world of Irina Dragomir, an important voice of the new generation of artists. The first solo show of the artist Irina Dragomir, “Red, Yellow and Blue”, curated by Alexandru Rădvan, can be visited until August 7 within Art Safari, one of the most important art events in Romania.

“Red, yellow and blue” – a solo show about color and power throughout the whole Contemporary Pavilion within Art Safari. How would you describe this experience?

It is overwhelming, dizzying, and beautiful. When I enter the Dacia-Romania Palace on Lipscani and look towards the stairs on the left, it still amazes me to see my name written up there. I find it surreal. I am still processing and trying to integrate what is going on and the fact that I have a full exhibition at Art Safari.

Your exhibition is titled “Red, Yellow and Blue”. What do these colors mean to you?

I use these colors in particular because I like the clarity and force of the chromatic effect they create. It is a matter of strict taste (my taste) and it is a contrast with which I resonate during this period of my life. In addition, I like to further amplify the chromatic effect by adding white, black, and gold. The resemblance to the national flag is purely coincidental.

The works displayed at Art Safari come from private collections, and some are created specifically for this exhibition. Can you tell us about the stages of your creative process? How long did it take to prepare everything?

I spend a lot of time trying to give meaning and rational explanations to the way we live, which can sometimes be an impossible mission. However, my consumption is not in vain because that is how ideas come about. Most of the time I write them down or make a quick sketch, and if they seem good to me in a week or two, I put them into practice. About time, it does not seem fair to me to time from the moment when we put our hand on the pencil or brush, given that the work has, in addition to the execution component, also a narrative component. Sometimes the subject can be one that I study for years before I get to translate it on canvas. Then we also have to take into account all the years I have spent training, trying to improve my technique, to become better and faster in execution. It is a lifetime work on all levels.

When do you know you have finished the artwork? Tell us more about the whole experience you go through until you are fully satisfied with the result.

It is an intimate experience, extremely personal. I plan my steps quite well and generally know where I want to go with the work, but the road is not always smooth. If I look at the canvas and I am 99% satisfied, it means that it is not ready.

From your position as an artist, how did your relationship with Alexandru Rădvan, the curator of the exhibition and your former teacher, go?

One of the most important lessons I learned from Alexandru Rădvan, my teacher from UNARTE, was “to carry things to the end” (I quoted exactly from his words) and to force myself more. It raised my standards and made me very ambitious about what I do. He is a fighter who tries to awaken in his students the “dormant volcanoes”. All the people who have been or are part of our lives leave an imprint on us, but there are a few that change us in-depth, that change our boundaries, and he is such a person to me.

We are conservative beings, unloving of change, but sometimes it is necessary to submit to the process to evolve. I have always trusted that everything Mr. Radvan does is for my good, even if the first impulse was to run away, to return to my comfort zone. As a curator, things went smoothly and naturally because we already knew and respected our universe and visions. I am honored he had accepted this role and I think he is the most appropriate person who could take care of my exhibition.

How would you describe your relationship with the artistic community?

I go to exhibitions when I have time and, for the most part, I get up to date with what is going on in the art world through social media. As is normal, I have my favorite artists that I admire from the shadows, but I also have a few that I do not resonate with. My professional relationships and collaborations are managed by Sineva, which helps me to devote more time and energy to the work in the studio.

How important is it for you to convey a message through your art? Why?

I aim for my painting to offer visual pleasure and tell about something that went through my mind or my heart at some point. I am very happy when people tell me that they have found themselves in my images – I understand that we have something in common, which makes me happy. I think of them too.

How did the collaboration with Art Safari begin?

In 2019, I finished college and the undergraduate exhibition was held. On this occasion, Ioana Ciocan, General Manager at Art Safari, saw my works and contacted me, inviting me to participate in that year’s edition. In the 2 months after graduating from college, Red Queen, one of my paintings, was the promotional image of the Supercontemporan pavilion, and appeared everywhere – on buses, on buildings, in magazines, etc.

What’s next after Art Safari? What contemporary art gallery would you like to collaborate with?

I do not know what’s next. I suspect other spectacular and incredible things. I want to work with people who believe in me, who understand and appreciate my work the right way, and to be able to participate in exhibitions in surprising places!