WHO AM I
Who am I?
PERSONAL ILLUSTRATION SERIES
After I finished my final degree project about my post-communist country, Atlas of Communism, I started to be more curious about what defines Romanian culture. I started questioning and exploring my memories and personal experiences as if I was trying to discover once again, Who am I?
The series represents an abundance of elements that are deeply rooted in my memories, connected to my childhood and life as a young Romanian adult.
The female character portrays me as a young woman, surrounded by elements that symbolize my childhood: the broom painted walls and the rug hand-woven by my grandmother. The peach bowl is a homage to my grandparents and their hard life Romanian peasants. The embroidered mask symbolizes the Romanian culture sewed, marked, buried in my skin. This particular illustration represents the critical point of accepting my Romanian culture and my identity. My mom used to have a famous communist 'Ileana' sewing machine, made in the '70s. She used to make my clothes, and even cut her bride dress to make me a 'snowflake' dress for one of my kindergarten recitals.
The Who am I? project is an on-going series that started by objectively observing my culture. This passive approach quickly became a personal visual journal that I intentionally shared to inspire others, discovering themselves through the simple act of drawing.
