Maria Balan
The series of four large-scale drawings confronts the sociopolitical struggles that young people face in Romania today, blending traditional media with a digital aspect. I began this project by composing collages digitally, merging pictures of my peers with journal articles and other relevant aspects of each piece's subject. These collages were then projected onto paper, where I drew them in mechanical pencil, improvising certain comedic elements along the way, achieving a project aiming to examine and ridicule the absurdity that is today's Romanian society: Kids abusing substances, poverty on the rise, mental health services being more damaging than helpful, and the increasing number of people fleeing the country.
Maria Balan is a Romanian artist based in Ireland, working primarily with pencil, charcoal and the occasional ink with a focus on monochromatic work obtained through etching and bold, messy lines. Through meticulous detail and restrained contrast, she merges technical precision with emotional intensity, reflecting both personal and collective anxieties while also adding comedic elements to her work. She invites viewers to learn the uncomfortable truths coming from the other side of the continent, showcasing the sociopolitical struggles she and her peers have faced back home, aiming to familiarise herself with uncomfortable subjects and learn more about them.
