lucian barbu

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[lucianbarbu]

January Log

Started the new year locked up in my apartment, experimenting with indigo. It's so peaceful and life-filling to finally work on something else than commissions and heavy research projects. This period also gave me the time to rethink the was in which I draw for a bit and finally choose to act on how I want my work to look like from now on.

Palm-shaped spreads for a collective zine that Ana, Gavril and I came up with. This is my contribution on Carlo Acutis, the soon-to-be new catholic patron saint of the internet. Hope the zine will be printed in this first half of the year so that we can put it on our fair tables.

Visited Berlin for the first time and this is what I was able to bring back to cry and obsess over, to keep and to show my friends. It was pretty unreal to see so many people who I've been following for years all have printed works in almost one single bookshop. Felt like a dream in which I keep finding all sorts of Polly Pockets in a thrift shop. First thing I did was make sure that I visit Colorama on their only open day. I was in awe of their local scene collection and over the moon after seeing so many publications from the people over in Leipzig there as well. Then found some more book in Zabriskie and a ton of kush and minikush at Neurotitan. In a crazy series of events I also got to meet Alyona who happened to pass through Berlin, and we were able to secure an art trade for the ages.

Back to quick commission work, I was invited to design the illustration for Glamour Romania's newsletter, Ping Pong. This is my proposal for the final drawing, although the colours did not make it to the newsletter due to them being deemed "too dark". May we reach a time in which dark colours do not mean dark atmosphere, uneasiness or "bad vibes", and we learn to trust artists and look deeper than paper-deep. Until then, we're at the corporate mercy of trends and presumptions on what colours should mean.

Lastly, I took a shot at Snail Eye's fantasy comic open call for their zine. This is the lineless version of my submission. Small sequence of a continuation of the Romanian film Maria Mirabela. I've been dreaming of reimagining the plot of the movie in some way, either by rewriting the original or by making a continuation that's not the absolute aberration of Maria and Mirabela in Tranzistoria (barf emoji). I chose the latter, happy that the open call finally gave me a good reason to start working on this project.

[lucianbarbu]

December Log

Finally finished my square (ish) waiting room sketchbook, digital colours and all. Maybe I'll do something with them in the future but for now I'm ready to start a new sketchbook and focus on other projects.

Transformers are back!!!

Almost final form of the dream pack zines.

I started a search for After Hours Work Club's mascot.

Lineless short comic about a character I've been obsessed with for the past half year or so.

I had a dream of a friend that looked like this, flying around, searching for materials to build their nest with so I had to draw them.

Started a new, A5 sketchbook. What at first looked like a normal, blue gel sketchbook, turned into an experimentation site for indigo.

[lucianbarbu]

November Log

This month I finally got to finish my square(ish) sketchbook. Stared a new one. Thinking of going back to drawing more studies as well.

At the beginning of November, time was of essence in finishing drawing on the four pillars that help keep the Politechnical University Library of Timișoara standing. I was invited by Campus Creativ UPT to make an intervention on the pillars, marking the end of their 2023 project. I tried to approach the campus (which is the oldest campus in town, celebrating 100 years from its first building this year), from two different directions: one in which it is the sum of all buildings, bricks, concrete, wood, installation, pluming, trees and benches, and one that is made out of the people who inhabit them. On the pillar's I compiled the campus residents' first ever drawings, as a homage to the first creation of the physical campus being built a century ago.

Between drawing sessions outside, I walked through the town to paste the Timișoara part of the comics for my project for Simultan's exhibition. So glad I managed to finish this on time, since it was a very complex project to work on. I was slowly preparing for the show's opening on the 16th.

Roger invited me to submit on of my dreams in their Dream Journal, in comic form. This is my submission, it's a dream about a recurring horror house that I keep progressing further down into, with each dream that finds myself there. II chose this one as an excuse to draw the polly pockets that I had to build in order to find the code to escape the area that I was stuck in.

Livia brought the mug that I drew on on Gruni's 4th year birthday ceramics painting workshop. Couldn't be happier with how the lines turned out.

On the weekend of the 17th, the Work Academy opened, a show that is part of Progress: Paradigm Shifts #5, organised by Simultan, curated by Ștefan Tiron and Arne Hendriks. The project provided me with the opportunity to explore installations for the first time. I was stoked to share the exhibition hall with other great local artists such as the guys from Kosmos DIY and their miniature exhibition boxes, Vlad Cadar and his raft and with C4Company's punk improvised set.

Before the month ended, the annual Balamuc Studio Fair took place. This year, Gavril and I joined Ana, Livia and Răzvan as permanent studio members.

[lucianbarbu]

October Log

October caught me colouring this short comic I made at the end of AnthroArt's online applied anthropology Bootcamp. The drawing is a synthetisation of my research team's experience exploring invisible barriers that migrant mothers encounter in trying to grasp a new language and find a new, local mother-based community. The drawing will be present alongside AnthroArt's other artistic projects in an exhibition accompanying their Bucharest Conference at the beginning of November.

Finished colouring the series of waiting room drawings and turned it into a small zine that will be available at our After Hours Work Club stand during Sit+Read Book Fair later this month. I'm bringing my stuff there alongside Gavril, Meci and our newest member, Dariana.

Had the chance to reprint my MA project while preparing for the Fair. I can't express the contentment that xerox coloured paper gives me, especially for projects that need to be manually cut to shapes. I had some pretty unfulfilling experiences in the past while printing this little comic anthology, having printed them on white paper that leaves little white mucus whenever I tried to cut them. The thickness of the paper was also a huge issue for this project. Each comic is only six pages long so thick paper makes the book feel very awkward and hard to handle. The material composition of standard xerox paper fits much better and I can finally say that the project is reaching its final form, the only think that's missing now is an English translation for the Romanian text.

I also turned 40 of those transformers I keep studying into pocket sized publications. They were one of the hottest things among my creations at our S+R stand, which totally makes sense considering their sexy spicy roots. In the same way as my MA anthology, this project is slowly reaching its final form, hopefully being complete by the end of December and ready to hit our fair stands in 2024.

LuciAna (Ana Kun + me) strikes again with the vegan agenda, this time in linocut form. The prints are part of an ongoing project we have spreading messages of animal equality. I drew the image, Ana wrote the text (Împarte mâncare, nu teroatre - eng. Share food, not terror), after we printed some postcards with the digital image, Ana started to carve, I joined in printing and we ended up with A4 linon prints, while also dipping our toes into printing on clothes (some aprons, some chef shirts and some rags). They were available at Sit+Read and can still be purchased at our studio, Balamuc, but also online (DM us if you want one).

Another project that finally materialised in the S+R context were the Zine Maker/Lover/Breaker. The drawings were created and slowly

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vectorised by me, and printed by Livia at Gruni Ceramics (who turned 4 this year). They turned out amazing and were another fan favourite at our AHWC.

These weeks were more forgiving, soft and restful than September was, a much needed slowing of pace if you ask me. The Sit+Read fair came in such a rush, and it was such a wonderful experience, although quite tiring as well. Not too bad for my first fair experience. I'm beyond inspired by the organising team (especially Flo from Secret Garden Bookshop Timișoara). We've launched two new zines: No words, No words - Made in collaboration with the ever so lovely Meci (Melinda Ureczki-Lazar) and Make a Wish - the retrospective on the Balamuc residency that me and Gavril Pop were invited to earlier this year.

I'm reading all the publications I bought or received from swaps and I'm training on all fronts to undertake a commission for UPT Campus Creativ right after the fair ends.

[lucianbarbu]

May Log

Started the month preparing for the big opening of our Balamuc Make A Wish Residency. Because the residency is on of Ana, Răzvan and Livia's wishes for their 10 year anniversary, I was curious to see what other wishes are yet to come true. I also asked Gavril and myself, what do we wish for the studio. I turned each wish into a candle and I put them all in a 16page small zine that you blow on to read. Titled Dorințe Arzătoare (Burning Wishes), it can be found in Balamuc's studio and at their Sit+Read stand this October.

Then I fixed a drawing block by finishing Anca Dima's drawings in the series that she and Ana Kun started, Half&Half. It's a mail art project in which one artist makes 2 halves of two drawings, then invites another artist to finish them. At the end, both of them get to keep one.

Then, together with Ana, I took part in an underground zine making workshop, organised by Minitremu, where Krishan Rajapakshe and Nadira Husain took us through alternative ways to organise and conduct education and learning. After our discussions, I created a series of drawings that can be found in the zine that resulted after the workshop.

Ana and I have also been warming up with this 100x70cm paper, that we drew on both sides, for a larger project that we're cooking up. Starting as a very therapeutic way to break the ice and get to know each other better, we even came up with an artist duo name: LuciAna. Keep an eye out cuz we'll be sharing our next works soon.

With the big opening of the Residency approaching, thinking about the wishes I collected from the Balamucs for their space, I decided to create their dream studio, in the shape of a PollyPocket.

[lucianbarbu]

June Log

Starting this month on June 1st, with the help of @indecisartistrun, and @mimiciora we did a collaborative colouring book with he children from their community. Everyone filled the page with what they would take with them when they inevitably have to move to space. The book is in the shape of a rocket to help them in thgeur space explorations 🚀

The editorial illustration I made for a rather heartbreaking text written by Alexandra Voivozeanu for AnthroArt. You can read it in full here. I also recommend browsing their articles for more insightful texts and drawings into different social and environmental anthropological issues.

Had to get back to Cluj-Napoca, where I prepared a little book with sketches, ideas and in-process projects for ArtiViStory's exhibition: UNBOXED STORIES - Urban comics with ArtiViStory Collective. The little blue zine takes the shape of a silkworm and is titled: The last sleep in my silk cocoon.

Getting back to Cluj meant that I could finally pick up the drawings I made in collaboration with Anca, that she gracefully left at our old apartment when she passed by. The drawings are an ongoing collaborative project, started by Ana Kun and Covrig (Anca Dima), called Half&Half. Each artist that takes part in it has to make two half-drawings that will be finished by another artist of their choice, both getting to keep one of them at the end.

Got back to Timișoara and drew this along with Ana, as preparation for a bigger project that will have us draw together on a huge piece of paper.

The Balamuc residency got us all together again for a Weidly-shaped-Zine workshop I conducted as part of the 9 public events of the program. Thanks to everyone who attended for your openness ad creativity :o)

Happened to find myself in Bucharest at the end of June, so I had to visit Covrig at her studio, which was the main place in which I hanged out while Gavril was putting up his stunning duo show with Giulia Crețulescu at Ivan Gallery. She was kind enough to let me use her aerograph, here are some drawings I made. While there, Alin from BooksForFriends brought me the riso posters we collaborated on. The prints are made after a digital drawing I made around Easter, printed in three colours on 42x30cm paper. They can still be bought from either me or from BFF's page.

While on a mini Bucharest vacation, I found some time to inaugurate the big, scary A4 sketchbook I've been carrying around for a few months.

Had to rush back to Timișoara to organise my last solo workshop within the Balamuc Make a Wish Residency. Based on a huge map I drew as a kid of places where I'd like to escape to, I created a workshop in which we all work on a collaborative map of recurrent dream locations. Similar to the places that I'd draw on the map when I was 9, this map also includes fantastical places that serve as an escape to the adult world, in our dreams. I posted my contributions.

Thanks to Flo from The Secret Garden, I received the first prints of my speculative gouache book, Who is Adriana?. I made this book during my Erasmus scholarship at Academia de Belle Arti in Bari, trying to explore what could be the identity of Adriana, the name that my neighbour screamed for every night. I never expected this project to gain as much popularity as it got, but the pleasantly good reception gave me the right kind of push to print it in order for people to have their own copy as well.

[lucianbarbu]

July Log

Still in the time travelling machine, we've reached July.

Let's see - Meci and I are working our asses off between work and more work to finish our zine, No words, No words, to have it ready for Sit+Read this October. We've signed up as a group together with Gavril (After Hours Work Club).

I've started to draw transformer studies in my pink sketchbook, between commissions and other personal stuff. I'm exploring early memories of kindergarten crushes and growing up. Planning on gathering as many of these guys as I can and turn them into a zine.

The Make a Wish Residency is approaching its end, but i's going out with some true bangers. First, we’re taking care of our bodies and souls with the nomadic Nail Salon and Gossip that me and Gavril created. While I cover our client’s nails with anything their heart desires, Gavril makes sure they get to unwind, destress and talk some 💩 if they feel like it. Over 19 people came, after a long day all I wanted to do was collapse in bed. While very tiring, the process was so enjoyable that I’m planning on doing this more often.

In between residency events, I got the chance to propose some of the visual materials for this year’s Ceau Cinema, a local film festival that values cinema and watermelon, who celebrated their 10th edition this year. Thank you so much Sorina Vazelina for recommending me and for the help along the way in navigating the abstract world of illustrator and vectors. In the pics are the first few proposals and the final design, printed on the festival's shirts, bags and more.

The Cadaver of Self-exploitation, our last open event of the Balamuc residency came and went by just as fast as these last three months. Twelve hours of non stop drawing, 17 meters of paper filled with houses, monsters, mermaids, television vampires and more. It was a great end to an even greater residency. I'm endlessly grateful to balamuc for inviting me to take part in it.

Had to rest and prepare for more projects in the moths to come, after the residency ended.

[lucianbarbu]

August Log

I'm moving backwards just for archiving's sake (but maybe planning on going only as far back as June), so here's what kept me caffeinated in August.

Starting the month, I was visiting my hometown to gather info on the project I'm doing for Simultan's exhibition, a short comic anthology about factories dealing with employees' work accidents in Cugir and Timișoara. Thanks to my family I had a full on tour of the Weapon Factory in Cugir (from the outside, of course) and was bombarded with stories and the factory's past.

While back at home, I finalised the end-of-Balamuc-residency zine, Make a Wish. Fifty eight pages of pure madness and documentary texts about the workshops, lectures and performances that happened during our (Gavril Pop and I) three months at Balamuc. The zine is in Romanian and English, and will be launched at this year's Sit+Read.

Took advantage of the editing spree caused by working on Make a Wish to also prepare the zine Meci (Melinda Ureczki-Lazar) and I made for print. Titled No words, No words, the zine is a dialogue between us that lasted for a year, in which we chose to only use drawing to communicate and develop a somewhat narrative work.

In between editing, I discovered the wonders of multiplying layers and had some fun colouring some of my contributions to our last open event from the Balamuc Residency, The Cadaver of Sefl-exploitation. Some of them are at the top of this long post, as headers

At some point in August, the printed version of the kid's book I have been working on since last October reached my home. Unde-i Păcală? (eng. Where's Păcală?) is a Romanian spin on Where's Wally?, the excruciatingly detailed British children's books. The book I illustrated, at the initiative and text of Diana Baltag, follows the folk tales of the Romanian prankster Păcală, challenging its readers to find said prankster. I tried to include as many details as possible in this 18-pager while also thinking how I want to approach kids. I thought of the book as something that doesn't take their intelligence and creativity for granted and that is a mirror of current times, in which they get to grow up with.

Made some more Transformers studies in the pink sketchbook. Getting them ready for an exhibition in Sibiu at Artă NonStop that will happen next month.

Lastly, I made some Zine Maker drawings that will be printed on ceramic pins at Gruni, for Sit+Read.

[lucianbarbu]

September Log

Started the month by attending CultureQuest's Earthquake, art and protest workshop. The workshop was gracefully carried out by Ana Kun and Mihai Drăgan and organised by Indecis at the Seismologic Observatory in Timișoara. It materialised into a collective zine. I attached my spread.

Read the zine in its entirety here.

Strong start already, heralded by MotelyMag#4=5 that finally came in the mail. I submitted a collaborative diptic made with the ever so lovely Anca Vatavu for half&half earlier this year.

Took a train to Sibiu to put up the Make a Wish NonStop exhibition at Artă NonStop, at the invitation of Gia Țidorescu. We basically moved a big chunk of our Make a Wish exhibition made during our Balamuc residency to Sibiu, alongside some new works. Being expected to bring just a few works, we soon filled up all the walls and even gave the ceiling something to do. I had the chance to showcase the gay transformers for the first time and to draw with my family.

Right after that I took a bus back to my hometown to guerilla some walls with some comics. This is the first part of my project for Simultan's exhibition, more updates down the line.

Drew some more Transformers, reached 82 now, but had to stop to work on paid projects and commissions.

Then made a quick apparition at CozZzmonautica: Partisans in Space. This year Indecis invited me to make an artwork for their Sci-Fi extravaganza that took place over one weekend at the Ștefania Palace.

THE IRON GATEKEEPER

Deep beneath the waters of the Danube river lie dormant the Iron Gatekeeper, at the very meeting point of two states. An intergalactic spaceship built by the settlers for darker times. At the river’s bottom, inside mountains and rocks, ancient guardians, made of iron and stone, await their time of waking, when people will need it most. They will assemble, creating the ship that serves as a gateway towards new worlds with new stars for their biological cohabitants.

This month I also had to spend quite some time in waiting rooms so I had some time to draw some quick things. Streams of consciousness that got featured on MothBelly Gallery's insta page.

Finally had the time to edit and print No words, no words, a collaborative zine I made with my dear friend Meci. We started communicating with drawings a year ago and after a few of them piled up we decided that they should take a zine form, that we'll launch at this year's Sit and Read Bookfair.

Ana Kun and I cooked up this tasty vegan agenda illustration that we're planning on putting on a lot of things (walls, postcards, aprons)

Completed the half&half with Ana (still Kun). and posted them for the world to see.

Continued working on my Simultan project, two short comics about work accidents and a scandalous local paper headline calendar for 2015, filled to the brim with things that can go wrong at the factory. Finally finished this everything, only printing and wall-sticking remains.

At the end of the month I got the chance to take part in AnthroArt's fast ethnography online bootcamp. Here are some visual projects I developed during the two weeks:

Illustration for the AnthroArt website, which will be exhibited in Bucharest this November. The drawing is inspired by my team's research about migrant working mothers dealing with loneliness and difficulties in connecting to other mothers in their new countries, due to the lack of understanding the local language. We conducted a series of digital interviews in three different cities: Timișoare (RO), Amsterdam (NL) and Porto (PRT). Will post the finished version once it is posted on their website.

Very quick posters for my team's solution prototype - a matching system that connects migrant working moms with local moms.

Idem.

[lucianbarbu]

Haven't had too much time to write in here, guess I'll start now with a project I'm currently working on. Gay transformers live dormant on their home planet, only to be awakened every 69 years by the passing of a comet. Once they activate, they will rejoice and frolic before going back to sleep. This time around, hateful forces are searching for a way to destroy the comet and, by extent, end the robots' festival of love.

Here are just a few heroes that need to save the comet in order to keep things in order.

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