Adina Andrus
“…there is a through line in the way we organize our lives around blood ties, networks of beliefs and stories to keep ourselves connected to each other. I look at both small daily habits and more significant rituals to find commonalities in our lived experiences.”
August, 2021, 38 x 36 in, glazed stoneware, metal, plastic and 24k gold leaf
PP: When did you know you wanted to pursue an art practice?
AA: It took detours through corporate jobs and full-time motherhood and relocating between three countries before I got to the point of deciding to have a sustained art practice. I had been making art sporadically before, but, after having kids, the practice turned into a lifeline, a separate side of my person that I had missed and wanted to reconnect with. Eight years ago, I had a “now or never” moment and started dedicating more and more time to art while also being the primary caregiver for my children. There are definitely stressful and sometimes discouraging moments that come with being an artist and a parent, a sense of missing out and not being fully present for both. But looking back, the many bumps along the way have only strengthened my decision to make it work and seeing myself as an artist through my kids’ eyes, experiencing their surprise and pride, has been very fulfilling.
January (detail), 2021, 36 x 33in, glazed stoneware, metal, plastic and 24k gold leaf
PP: What do you aim to say through your work?
AA: That there is a through line in the way we organize our lives around blood ties, networks of beliefs and stories to keep ourselves connected to each other. I look at both small daily habits and more significant rituals to find commonalities in our lived experiences. I am particularly interested in supernatural narratives as reflections of human anxieties and triumphs. A lot of my source material comes from my own background, ancient and folk art of Europe, and more specifically of Romania where I am originally from. It’s a culture that is not well known but that has a very rich craft tradition that uses visual elements and symbols that can be easily recognized. I love working with these to create an almost instinctual recollection and connection with personal memories in the viewer, regardless of their background.
Sunday Dinner, 2022, 84 x 84 x 96 in, glazed stoneware, metal, plastic and 24k gold leaf
PP: What is your process for critiquing your own work?
AA: There is a lot of thinking and conceptualizing going into the initial stages of my work. I research ideas, look up historical and visual references, and read books about a particular subject that interests me at the time. Most of the self-critiquing, constructive or less so, happens at this stage. It’s a painful process sometimes but once I feel like I have a strong concept the actual work becomes very intuitive. I end up making a lot of quick formal decisions on the spot but, having done all that initial work, I know I have to trust myself and push on. Since I work with a lot of experimental materials, I have to stay flexible when it comes to technical problem-solving and I am always looking to simplify my process and keep only what is necessary. There does come a point, towards the end of working on a piece or a series, where I come back to a more cerebral approach and try to look at it through the perspective of the initial concept and end up making small adjustments.
Water for the Fates - installation view
PP: What challenges have you faced as an artist and how do you overcome them?
AA: On a practical level: lack of time and procrastination. I’ve developed a system of lists and outside accountability to make sure I stay focused and not let myself too sidetracked by non-art obligations. Having a community of artist friends helps immensely. On a creative level: overthinking and over-intellectualizing especially in the initial stages of work (which probably feeds the procrastination). Research leads me to some very interesting rabbit-holes (who knew there was so much literature on the symbolism of worms for instance?), but there comes a point where I have to stop planning and start doing and once I manage to push past that point there is no more second guessing.
Adina Andrus (born in Bucharest, Romania) works across various media, creating sculptures, drawings and installations that confront questions of memory, belonging, and visual culture across time and space. Her works allude to a universal pool of images and symbols that we inherit, consume and are guided by, while simultaneously contributing new meanings. Andrus is a recipient of the Queens Council for the Arts New Work Grant and the NY State Arts Alive Artist Grant and has exhibited work in the United States and Romania, including at the Ely Center for Contemporary Art (New Haven, CT), CollarWorks (Troy, NY), LABSpace Gallery (Hillsdale, NY), GoggleWorks Center for the Arts(Reading, PA), and Make a Point Gallery (Bucharest, Romania). She studied art at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, MA and the Art Students’ League in New York City. Andrus lives and works in the New York area.
To reach Adina or learn more about her work, see her instagram and website.