ARTIST’S STATEMENT

Leyla Munteanu


I have always felt a special connection with textural surfaces and the human figure. The beauty and strength in human features was a preferred subject in my work. Now I am focusing on the nostalgic. My love for the human figure has evolved into an interest in what they leave behind. Human marks left on objects and surfaces over time become more important than representation of the people who made the marks.

I find my inspiration in immediate surroundings, and I hope that my work will lead the viewer to see the beauty that I see. First impressions are everything. Most often my depictions of those experiences are simply my way of saying “you should see what I saw!” Each piece has special meaning to me, which will not necessarily be the same meaning the viewer may attach to it. Art tells us something about ourselves and my work is the world as I see it, a world that brings back memories.

I grew up in Bucharest Romania, a town marked by a long history; every place was worn by time or human nature. I’m still amazed by my memories of these places. All my new work involves transforming the memories of those places into works of art.

I enjoy taking pictures; they are valuable references for my work and help to capture the subject in that certain moment in just a fraction of a second. Vibrancy, color, texture and emotion, the potential is there to add my unique and personal touch and bring to life a photograph that to me may only be a flat and lifeless representation of reality.

Currently my work reflects how the subject matter records “time,” or more precisely, how time changes our surroundings and how we in time affect our surroundings.
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