In my drawings, I interweave real-world environments with fantastical, imaginary spaces. It’s not a conscious attempt—at least not in the beginning—but I arrive there gradually, following one shape, then another. My sister, who’s also a painter, tells me I’m creating mandalas, journeying toward the center (for instance, in The Multi-Eyed Necklace and Baby Galaxy). Making art is indeed a process of introspection for me. I believe that all of us are undergoing a process of introspection in our own way, whether it is by drawing or cleaning the house and letting our thoughts flow.

Thoughts from Emanuela Iorga on her pieces

Deaf Drawing represents a hybrid world of mine. I experienced synesthesia while completing this piece; I felt that I could hear its muffled sound with my eyes. It wishes to say something, emitting this almost muted sound, but it cannot articulate the words and it is not understood.

The Muzzled Man of Many Brains is a metaphor of the eternal man who didn’t fit the strains of his time. He recognizes or senses truths that contradict the reality provided to his eyes and ears.

The Little Seahorse and Its Friends is part of a Seahorse themed series. The Little Seahorse is a character that made an appearance in my latest pieces. Recently, he started to bring his friends along. They arrive and take over colors and shapes and dictate every imaginable encounter on the surface of the canvas. Where do they come from? Perhaps it’s a natural progression after having watched “The Water Horse” with my young daughter a few years ago, or perhaps I’m passing through a stage in which the real and the mythical are separated by the thinnest of walls – and this journey replenishes me.

Baby Galaxy catches the birth of a new galaxy – and I received the gift of its title from a dear friend.

Father, Mother, and Child is a close and dear piece for me. I see in it the joy only a child can have; the power and light with which she embraces, protects, and unites her parents.

How would you describe your practice?

I believe I fit under the abstract-expressionist style. My medium is Digital Art. I do finger drawing using a range of tools and colors offered by the digital medium. I usually experiment with the line thickness, opacity, and the contrast between black and white. Sometimes I like to scribble on the drawing in order to take it away from digital perfection and bring it closer to hand drawing.

What was the inspiration behind these pieces?

There are certain themes that have haunted me in the last few years: truth and the spinal column, anxiety, hope, light. I am becoming more and more aware of what they are. What surprises me is the fact that even though my inner conflicts are the ones that push me toward my work, I find myself drawing fantastic worlds frozen in moments devoid of conflicts. In my drawings, I aspire toward peace and harmony.

What do you believe is the role of art and the artist?

I believe that art is the expression of our human need to fill our empty spaces in a search for clarity and balance. It is a great joy for the artist when his art succeeds in bringing joy to somebody else’s heart.

What about Neon Door led you to submit?

I found in Neon Door’s platform a mysterious invitation into a reassembled world that guides me through a utopian history to other imaginative spaces. I thought I could find a home here for my own creative vision and the forms it embodies.

Baby Galaxy, Father, Mother and Child, and The Little Seahorse and Its Friends first appeared in Up the Staircase Quarterly.

Emanuela Iorga is a filmmaker, artist, and screenwriter, who lives in Chisinau, Moldova. Art represents for her a recently rediscovered passion, following a series of world and inner changes.
She was previously published in Jet Fuel Review, Pithead Chapel, Beyond Words, Please See Me, FLARE, Penumbra, and Up the Staircase Quarterly.
Her work can also be found at manolcaincosmos.wordpress.com/

Instagram: @emanuelaincosmos