“From my from tormented life, I try to bring to the world the best of me: the colour and not the other side.” Constantin Cosmin
There is something magical about Cosmin’s uplifting art, and with his latest series of paintings, sculptures and screenprints he seems to have succeeded in creating a visual alphabet consisting of heart motifs and simplified elements of facial expressions- the hint of a smile, the blink of an eye-that captures the most innocent elements of a person and offers a hopeful vision of humanity. Cosmin’s stripped back, cartoon-like faces recall emojis or cute anime characters, merging American Pop Art with Japanese Anime influences, and offering a welcome escape from the troubles and conflict of contemporary life into a parallel universe inhabited by smiling faces.
Cosmin’s new series features an adorable heart-shaped face presented in a variety of colourways and variations of facial expression. The overall impression is of ‘Kawaii’, the Japanese cultural phenomenon emphasising cuteness, childlike innocence, charm or simplicity. As well as a Kawaii sensibility, the faces depicted in Cosmin’s new paintings have a cubist aesthetic that recalls Picasso’s distorted portraits. Cosmin’s analytic cubism reduces the natural forms of a face into basic geometric parts on a two-dimensional picture plane.
Art Critic Anthony Fawcett has described artist Constantin Cosmin as having a “…palpable magic about him, reminiscent of being dusted with stardust”, no small complement coming from the former curator to John Lennon and Yoko Ono.
Born in Romania in 1993, Cosmin experienced a traumatic childhood as the son of parents diagnosed with terminal cancer, and the self-trained artist first discovered art with his late Mother, when they painted landscapes together. It appears that art offered an escape from reality for his Mother, and so it seems to be a cathartic process for the adult Cosmin, whose mission now is to create a visual lexicon that is distinctly his, and captures the evasive feelings of happiness that we are all chasing. Some artists use their talents to examine the world around them and reflect it in their art, others use it to escape from the world around them and offer an escape for others, and Cosmin falls into the latter camp.
Culturalee visited Cosmin in his studio near London Bridge to view his new series of paintings, screenprints and sculptures and talk to him about his quest to create his own distinc visual language.
Culturalee: Can you talk me through this new series and explain what the concept is. Is it inspired by Pop Art?
Constantin Cosmin: They do have a Pop Art aesthetic. From my own point of view, it’s my ongoing quest to create a universal language. This series is called ‘King of Hearts’ and it involves paintings, sculpture and silkscreens.
I want to look at people and create a universal language without political affiliations, without religion, without sex. In this political climate with the social changes, there are a lot of people who advocate for social justice, but they still choose a side. With my work what I’m trying to do is not choose a side, you know. I’m creating a universal language that anybody, any religion can bond with.
What’s the starting point for the face, are they self-portraits?
They’re not self-portraits. The starting point for the face is people that I know. Sometimes I do a drawing first but that’s very rare. Usually I just start working on the canvas, because I know the people I paint. So I know what colours to associate them with. Some people ask me ‘why blue eyes in this series’, but that can be just a metaphorical.
And what’s the process you’ve used to create the heart sculptures?
First of all I 3D print the model, then I create the mould, and then I pour resin into the mould. Then there are the silkscreen prints. If you look at them, they all have different features or gazes…smiling or kissing. They can even be like heart emojis. They’re not affiliated with anything that divides people, but they can be associated with the social media world that we live in. Instead of saying LMAO you can have one of these screenprints. I’m taking the emojis out of the digital world and exploring them through art.
Are your ‘happy emojis’ supposed to provide a happy escape from reality? Because reality is quite depressing isn’t it. Is art for you a way of escape or a catharsis?
Well I think art is a happy escape. When I was growing up, I had to inject morphine into my parents’ hands as part of their cancer treatment, to alleviate their pain. My Mum died when I was 14 and my father a few years later, both in my arms. So art was actually an escape for me. If it wasn’t for art and my sister, I think I would be in a very dark place. So all the elements of the new series are comprised of a heart: the whole shape, not just the shape of the face, but the eyes nose and mouth are made of hearts. If you turn it upside down the face is aorta-shaped.
How do you choose the colour scheme?
I mix my own colours. I mostly had the same palette for years. Then I was using a range of purple tones for a year. I took a break and some things happened, then I shifted from the purple series to this more colourful series.
You seem happier in this new series than in the purple series, when the colours were more subdued?
Well, you’re right, I am happier. These new portraits could even be perceived as a mask.
And what are your influences? Because I can see there’s a Warholian Pop Art influence, but also maybe a bit of Manga or Anime?
I can tell you the artists I like the most: I love Warhol, Picasso, Basquiat, Matisse, Van Gogh. I absolutely love Francis Bacon. But it’s more about their life that attracts me than their art, because I don’t copy them, my main thing was not to copy. It hurts me when somebody says ‘Oh that looks like a Warhol’, you know. So I always avoid copying, but I do get inspired. We all get inspired, and even those artists were inspired by other people. My ongoing mission is to create a signature style which is recognisable as my own.
