BIANCA PARASCHIV | An Exclusive Interview

A WARNING MESSAGE ABOUT CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY

“I can still vividly recall the joy of holding a pencil for the first time at five, my imagination spilling onto the page with every stroke. My heart has always yearned for creative pursuits, whether sketching, painting, or exploring new artistic techniques. This insatiable desire to create has driven me to fill every available moment with activities that nurture my artistic growth and skill development.”
– Bianca Paraschiv

Bianca Paraschiv, a 26-year-old professional artist, passionately expresses her creative vision through the vibrant worlds of painting and graphic arts. She embarked on her artistic journey at the National University of Arts in Bucharest, where she graduated in 2020 with a distinguished Degree in Painting. Eager to deepen her understanding of artistic techniques, Bianca pursued a Master’s program in “Strategies of Plastic Representation in Painting,” which she completed in 2022.
As a proud Romanian Union of Fine Artists member, Bianca has made her mark in the art community by participating in over 70 group exhibitions. These exhibitions have unfolded in renowned galleries and museums in Romania, internationally, and at various prestigious events, including art salons, biennials, and competitive galas. She has also showcased her work in three solo exhibitions, each a testament to her unique vision.
Bianca draws inspiration from a rich tapestry of subjects, such as philosophy, psychology, architecture, and the intricacies of human anatomy. Her artistic practice transcends traditional boundaries, seamlessly merging graphic design with painting. She adeptly employs various mediums, including acrylics, oil paints, charcoal, liners, and pastels, each adding depth and texture to her creations.

“I chose to give myself the challenge to try to bring this abstract concept to a visual level, drawing inspiration from the major arts, such as Architecture, which has plenty of symbols that I integrated into the compositions”

In the past four years, Bianca has garnered 20 prestigious international and national art awards and accolades from Italy, Spain, the USA, England, Canada, Belgium, and Romania, her home country. Her impressive portfolio has led to her artworks and collaborative pieces being featured in numerous art catalogs and magazines, elevating her profile within the artistic community.
Additionally, Bianca Paraschiv was honored to serve as a jury member for the LSRS (League of Romanian Students Abroad) Academic Excellence Competition. The award gala for this esteemed event took place at the iconic Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest, further cementing her role as a significant figure in the contemporary art scene.
In a significant milestone for her artistic career, Bianca Paraschiv has been chosen to represent Romania at the prestigious Expo 2025 Osaka as part of the Romanian Pavilion. This international event gathers outstanding contemporary artists from around the world, showcasing innovative and thought-provoking works across various disciplines. The World Expo highlights the achievements of nations in fields such as technology, culture, and innovation. The theme for the 2025 Osaka Expo is “Designing Future Society for Our Lives.” Bianca’s participation in this global event emphasizes her role in shaping Romania’s contemporary art scene on an international level.

An Exclusive Interview With
BIANCA PARASCHIV
By Ariel SU

Art Market Magazine: It’s a pleasure to present this interview with you, Bianca Paraschiv. Your artistic style is impressive and fascinating. Let’s start by discussing your background and its influence on your artistic style. What can you tell us about the beginning of the artistic journey and the academic years?

Bianca Paraschiv: Thank you for this opportunity!
I am honored! My artistic journey started in my early childhood, as I was always fascinated by the art world, even if we refer to it in the form of music, classical and contemporary ballet, or fine arts. My early training in piano shaped my artistic sensitivity yet sculpted my taste for classical music from an early age, allowing me to understand the principles and values of the past but with a contemporary adapted approach. Then, the transition to professional ballet, studying for about 6 years, shaped my discipline in a definitory manner, helping me develop synchronicity between my body movements, my thoughts, and my emotions, as each choreography and role I interpreted had a different state of mind that I had to temporarily devote myself to. Since ballet strongly contrasts army-like discipline with softness, grace, and seemingly effortless emotional expression, it represented my most appropriate background as a growing girl before I dedicated my life to fine arts- especially painting and drawing.
As a child, I always used to draw and create crafts; art was a hobby that developed into a career. I started studying painting and traditional graphics at the age of 16 during my high school years. I followed a Philology Profile at a top European High School in Constanta, my hometown.
I understood that I best express myself through painting and drawing. Right after high school, I was admitted to the National University of Arts, Bucharest, both at the Painting Department and Art Pedagogy (module), getting my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in both of them, where I redefined my artistic skills through a wave of extensive knowledge. Studying the depths of the history of art, the revelation brought by the study of philosophy, ethics, and aesthetics, and the understanding of psychology applied to art made me understand myself better and approach deep subjects for my art series. I consider my student years the most psychologically challenging, but I am thankful for all the revelations that made these perspective shifts occur in my inner world. Knowledge is true power, true freedom, and talent is the ability to materialize feelings from the inner, unseen world to the exterior realm. 

Art Market Magazine: In your series “Ruina Animae,” we witness a unique approach, combining elements from the architectural world, primarily presented in a ‘broken’ space, with subjects in nudity. How was this series developed, and what is the philosophy behind these artworks?

Bianca Paraschiv: To understand the theme of this art series and decipher its sense and signification, we should first approach it etymologically. “Ruina Animae” is the Latin for “The soul’s downfall.”
I chose to give myself the challenge to try to bring this abstract concept to a visual level, drawing inspiration from the major arts, such as Architecture, which has plenty of symbols that I integrated into the compositions, such as sculpture, as the referral ones hold the mysteries of mythological creatures and characters who embodied the exact subject, in subsidiary to the third major art, which is also the one that allowed me to combine all these elements harmoniously: Painting.

Symbols add layers of meaning to the compositions, deepening their resonance with the viewer’s inner self while evoking a sense of mystery, unresolved questions, and introspective dilemmas. Many of these symbols originate from architecture and anatomical elements like arms, hands, and the spine, deliberately distorted and contorted to align with the project’s conceptual framework.
The chosen theme conveys a warning message about contemporary society.
It highlights a gradual dehumanization, a fading of the spirit, and an increasing emphasis on superficiality—on the outer shell of appearances—at the expense of essence.
My artistic project, “Ruina Animae,” graphically unravels this emotional state, filled with unanswered questions that I continue to explore and the abstract side of myself. This facet amplifies and systematizes the creative impulse, bringing together emotions, states of mind, and thoughts into compositions with a strong geometric structure and a distinctive monumentality.
Creating this series of paintings within a personal context of change—moving to a different city, adapting to a new environment, and internalizing shifting daily realities—generated mental contradictions. This struggle left behind questions whose answers I sought to translate into visual form at the intersection of graphic art and painting.

“The chosen theme conveys a warning message about contemporary society. It highlights a gradual dehumanization, a fading of the spirit, and an increasing emphasis on superficiality—on the outer shell of appearances—at the expense of essence.”

Art Market Magazine: What can you tell us about the workflow? Do you see the image in your mind before starting the painting? Can you describe the process from the early stage to the final artwork?

Bianca Paraschiv: I usually do some research and documentation about the subject that I choose to enrich my knowledge and enlarge my horizons to select the best visual form to materialize my vision in a highly expressive way. Picasso once said that inspiration must find you working. I can relate, but we should listen to what our soul dictates. It’s essential to prioritize our well-being first. I once reached the point of burnout, and now that I allow myself little moments of rest, my creativity and inspiration thrive. At the same time, my mind is fully connected to the identical sphere I discovered during the documentation step. After that, I created some sketches and concepts, envisioned the composition of each artwork, and then chose the chromatic palette.
I usually know how my artwork will look, and I don’t start painting on the canvas until I am content with the concept. When I transfer my ideas and vision onto the canvas, I start painting in acrylic or oil over the sketch. 

Art Market Magazine: Your series “Artificial Paradise” is more optimistic, using brighter colors that express and associate with a “broken world.” Do you view these artistic developments as reflections of your world and current life?

Bianca Paraschiv: Indeed, the “Artificial Paradise” art project is visually distinct from the previous series of artworks, “Ruina Animae.” The paintings are more abstract this time; the composition respects the geometric harmony and the rigorousness of the sharp angles. However, this time, I added a touch of fluidity by interplaying the architectural elements of different textures and structures with the fluidity of round-shaped anatomic elements. Visually, the series embraces a dynamic interplay between structured compositions and organic distortions, reflecting the tension between order and chaos, the tangible and the intangible.

The Artificial Paradise series delves into a concept deeply rooted in literature and art history. An artificial paradise is an illusion of perfection, shaped by aesthetic ideals and the perpetual pursuit of beauty, virtue, and transcendence—fundamental to the human ontological condition. 
The philosophy behind Artificial Paradise revolves around the duality of illusion and truth, questioning the human tendency to seek fulfillment in artificial constructs. It explores the tension between surface and essence, the ephemeral and the eternal, reflecting on whether perfection is an authentic aspiration or a mere illusion we fabricate to escape deeper existential realities. For me, “Artificial Paradise” is a way of decoding and filtering all my affective episteme, translating every exterior interaction or experience into an intrinsic universe dominated by sensitivity, subjectivity, self-dialogue, and introspection. Yet, the subject is ever-available and actual, and the personal insight journey is the only way to evolve as an artist and a human being. 

Art Market Magazine: Which art period and artists have primarily influenced your artistic style?

Bianca Paraschiv: The artistic movements that inspire me include the Renaissance, pursuing perfect proportions and harmonious forms; Surrealism, with its distinctive distortions and allegorical compositions; and Expressionism, with its raw emotional intensity, freedom, and vitality. Some of the masters who imprinted my artistic view are Leonardo da Vinci, known for his anatomical studies, expressive faces, and balanced compositions, which reflect both realism and an almost metaphysical depth; Michelangelo, whose genius transcended even the toughness of marble, making it seem to breathe, his pursuit of perfection and the obsession for details that shaped his masterpieces has always inspired me to try to get the best I can from every drawing or painting I ever made.
Surrealism may be my favorite art movement; I am genuinely inspired by Salvador Dalí’s and René Magritte’s masterpieces. I also like many contemporary artists’ works, and I think that art is in a continuous process of renewal.
Vasili Kandinski, Jackson Pollock, and Anselm Kiefer are just some of the Expressionist painters who inspired me.
Talking about art movements, I am happy to mention that my artwork “Solitude” was awarded the First Prize in an international art competition in the United States in the “Abstract Expressionism” category, competing among artists from nearly 70 countries.

Art Market Magazine: The latest series, “True Colours,” represents a significant shift from the previous artistic style. It primarily features figures portrayed through an abstract approach. The colors are vibrant with intense saturation. What led you to this change, and what message are you conveying through this series?

Bianca Paraschiv: The “True Colours” art series represents a clear shift in my perspective on contemporary art, which has come with a clear stylistic and chromatic change. I needed to reinvent myself. I feel like I started from a symbiosis of classical and contemporary influences—at times
Then, I retreated into my own Artificial Paradise, a realm dominated by art and beauty in all its forms.
Gradually, I began unveiling new facets of my personality, daring to confront my authenticity boldly and unfiltered. “True Colours” is the materialization of a complex exploration of human psychology, revealing the authentic self hidden behind the artificial masks we present to society. Rooted in the theory of colors and the deep emotions they convey, the artworks depict distorted faces and silhouettes, their forms reshaped by saturated yet interconnected hues, evoking the concept of Synesthesia and embracing an oxymoronic essence. Authenticity is a personal journey, and this series is a visual inquiry into identity, stripping away façades to uncover the essence of soul and being. 

Art Market Magazine: Over the past years of your career, you have been awarded many international awards and exhibited at solo exhibitions worldwide. What can you tell us about the latest solo exhibition and award?

Bianca Paraschiv: The most recent solo exhibition, “Reverence,” was a graphic art showcase honoring the Master of Sculpture, Constantin Brâncuși. It was held at a renowned art gallery in the heart of Bucharest. I made a series of drawings inspired by Brancusi’s masterpieces.
I opted for abstract compositions from his artistic heritage with figurative elements, playing with aesthetic distortions. I merged Brancusian elements with ultramodern architectural fragments, establishing a compelling contrast highlighting the duality between tradition and innovation, permanence and transience, the terrestrial and the celestial, the sacred and the profane. I was honored to receive the first prize in an international art competition held by the “Constantin Brancusi” Art Museum for one of my artworks in my solo art exhibition.
Talking about Awards and Distinctions, I have always enjoyed participating in competitions, even from a young age.
In the last few years, I have achieved 20 art awards and recognitions both nationally and internationally in countries like the USA, UK, Romania, Italy, Spain, Belgium, and Canada.
I am really honored to have been awarded the Grand Prize in the Arts Category at the LSRS Academic Excellence Gala – League of Romanian Students Abroad, XIVth edition hosted by the Palace of Parliament Bucharest, with First Prize at the “AMERICAN ART AWARDS” International Competition – Abstract Expressionism Category, Los Angeles, U.S.A, First prize at the International Competition  “American Edition” New York, Art & Design category, organized by World Talent Ranking USA, in collaboration with Fiestalonia International, First prize at the International Art Competition  “Fall 2022 – Art Vue Prize” – offered by Bruxelles Art Vue Foundation – Belgium, and others. 

Art Market Magazine: What was the viewers’ reaction to the artworks in the latest solo exhibition?

Bianca Paraschiv: The viewers reacted very positively, curious to know more about the mystery and message behind each artwork. Their reactions to my solo exhibition were profoundly engaging and thought-provoking. Witnessing how my work resonated differently with each person was inspiring, sparking dialogue, curiosity, and introspection. Some of the artworks also found their new home. 

Art Market Magazine: What can art collectors and viewers expect in 2025? Are there any upcoming exhibitions? Where can collectors find your work?

Bianca Paraschiv: This year is going to be full of art events. I will have two solo Art Exhibitions and some group art shows. I am proud to be selected among the artists who will represent Romania at Expo 2025—Osaka this spring. My entire portfolio of artworks will be displayed on massive screens, and I will use multimedia to bring my creations to life. In the summer, I will participate in the MoBu Art Fair Bucharest, the most significant Art Fair in Central and Eastern Europe. I will also have a Solo Art Exhibition at the National Museum of Romanian Literature in Bucharest.  Art collectors can also find my artwork on my website and on my social media pages: Instagram @bianca_paraschiv_art and Facebook Page—Bianca Paraschiv Art. 

Art Market Magazine: What advice do you have for young artists entering the current art market?

Bianca Paraschiv: If you have big dreams that seem “scary” (in a good way) or impossible at first glance, you are halfway there! Practice, be serious and dedicated to your path, try as many times as necessary, allow yourself to be wrong sometimes, see failure as a guide to what is truly meant for you, and be patient! Don’t let anybody make you think that you are not enough just because you have a different rhythm! Stay confident in your abilities; there is a place for every artist in the art world.

See the Full Interview Article in Art Market Magazine Issue #101