Elena Copuzeanu is an artist from Romania whose work is mixed with life. Born at sea, in a family with noble Slavic origins, she studies painting in Bucharest. Over the years, she comes closer to faith and constantly takes care of animals in need.
Over time, her art transcends the two-dimensionality, and over time, through contact with the National Dance Center in Bucharest and WASP – Working Art Space and Production, Bucharest approaches performance and choreography, through which she expresses a game with the reality that surrounds her , sometimes even the discomfort of it. Returning to painting, but escaping from it, Elena directs her fervor and gestures towards other types of creation like clothing items, ceramics, mural painting, etc.
Concerned with a kind of communication that involves touching and the limit between the thought and the intuitive gesture and also her interest in the kinesthetic capacities of the human body, the artist will dedicate and direct her attention and energy to therapeutic practices through massage, religious practices and professional dog training. An artist of disarticulation, who challenges a linear route from problem to solution, but who with humor, sometimes a cruel one, reaches deep limits of empathy and compassion.
The artist is a strange person in a strange world. Or maybe just one in relation to the other becomes strange, and neither is looking for solutions to reconsider this aspect. A strange icon embodied in an artist with incomprehensible intransigence.
Her first performance was triggered by the aggression, from the moment she was hit in the tram by a ruffian, troublemaker named Mandela, because her head and was shaved.
Fighting is a motif often present in the artist’s performances. It’s the same kind of struggle he has with the large paper on which he obsessively develops an explosive calligraphy.
“When I started working, I fed myself with all the sensations arising from touching the large white sheet of paper, a struggle with the material, with the immaculate white, with the dense, impenetrable surface of the support (the paper was usually supported by the wall in the studio) with the gesture if you would rub your hand, your fingers against the matter of coal and paper. Practically the fingers, the epidermis, the strokes of the paper or the charcoal, all these reverberated in my body but also in the “body” and the shape, texture, of the created drawing, From all those sensation and immediate feedback the work grows up.
Even in massage you work with these sensations. An almost tender struggle between me and the object which involves a lot of sensory. But also, kinaesthesia is involved, through the participation of all the sensors from your body. That it links any activity I undertake from my religious practice… to dog training… to my art. Social involvement has nothing to do with ‘’art’’ in what I do.
Rather than making a beautiful artwork with an injured dog, I preferred to engage with my own hands, my physical body, my emotions and affectivity in real space. I was a volunteer in a veterinary office, not just swabbing, but even active in operations. I was not a mimosa. I rescued dogs, cleaned up shit. My social involvement was as a humble person, not as an artist, as a person with an appetite for heroes. If painting, performance, religion, training, massage could be considered living forms, I would like to become those forms myself”.
Text by Bogdan Bălean in conversation with Elena Copuzeanu
Elena Copuzeanu is an interdisciplinary artist who works and lives in Bucharest, Romania.
She studied at the National University of Art in Bucharest and works with painting, drawing, clothing, ceramics, dance-performance. Her work is characterized by an impulse to push boundaries and in the same time be open and aware to the others. She is trained as a dance performer in various and long workshop sessions at the Bucharest National Dance Center, WASP Bucharest, and at the Academy of Fine Arts in Maastricht. Her works can be found in the collection of the Museum of Recent Art and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Bucharest and in private collections in Germany, Switzerland and the United States.
Studies:
Bucharest Art Academy – Visual Arts field – Master class in Multimedia an Conceptual Art with Lawrence Weiner https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AscU8wKzbbE. within the residency program offered by the Maastricht Academy of Fine Arts.
Choreography, performing arts and dramaturgy in the period 2009 – 2018 within the residency programs and / or courses offered by WASP – Working Art Space Production http://waspmagazine.com/en and the National Dance Center of Bucharest http://www.cndb.ro/
Short selection: 2009 – 2019 I took classes in Authentic Movement held by Milli Biterli and Olive Bieringa at Impultanz Wiena, HIP-HOP Dance held by Brandon ‘Peace’ Albright at WASP Bucharest, Improvization, Body Mind Centering, Real Time composition offered by National Dance Centre and ZonaD Bucharest, held by Carmen Cotofana, Vava Stefanescu, Mihai Mihalcea, Florin Fieroiu, Eduard Gabia, Cosmin Manolescu. Contact Improvisation held by Berndt Knappe, Dramaturgy held by Gina Șerbănescu and Igor Dobricic. Physical theatre held by Ivo Dimchev. Movement research held by Meg Stuart & Philipp Gehmacher. Interdisciplinary, multi-sensory and site specific practices held by Rocio Boliver, Jurgen Fritz, Alexandra Zierle & Paul Carter. Performing arts held by Mette Edvardsen. 2015 dancelab and interactive research held by Rogerio Nuno Costa ZonaD / MAP. 2016 dramaturgical writing and theater within ‘ Write about yourself’ by Vera Ion, Octavian Dan, Alina Medoia and Sorin Poama. 2016 deep listening & make/do/think/say offered by Siegmar Zacharias – 2017 movement practices from Explicit Content held by Sergiu Matis 2017 Immersive theater practices held byTristan Sharps. 2018 – Craiova, Romania, Contemporary dance camp practices and theory with Jan Burkhardt and Sandra Noeth
Experience in teaching contemporary dance: https://web.facebook.com/nucachuna/
Awards: For Drawings Exhibitions by Artist Union Bucharest * For intervention and performance in
public spaces L’Omage de Mandela.*For Performative Installation NOW by Artist Union, Bucharest
*For Performance (Meeting – XII public interactions) and Drawing Opus by Artist Union, Bucharest
*Works in private collection of MARe https://www.mare.ro/
and MNAC https://www.mnac.ro/
*For Choreography and performance regarding 3 pieces (2 years consecutive) GIF, Quantified Self
and Self No.10
Selection from personal exhibitions and my own creations in choreography/dance performances or my participations as dancer / performer, period 1996 – 2020
‘Towards black’ Solo exhibition, drawings – location Mogosoaia Palace, Romania- curated by Erwin Kessler – creator
‘Filmed faces’ Solo exposition, video-experiment & performance – location Simeza Gallery, Bucharest, Romania – curated by Erwin Kessler – creator
‘STOP‘ Duet performance/public interventions – different locations in Bucharest, Romania – creator and performer
https://www.flickr.com/photos/38395240@N00/sets/72157618822160222/detail/
‘Arbitrary connections’ Dance performance/experiment with Vlaicu Golcea and writer Mugur Grosu – location Imbold Gallery Bucharest, Romania https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aa87nrFlks creator and performer
‘No story.You’ Open research and performance with Bernd Knappe – location Silencio Pub, Bucharest, Romania – co-creator and performer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AUZ5VnzNqE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEonTrmxv-w
‘Fallen man in woman’ Duet exhibition, a collaboration with Mihaela Cretescu fashion designer. Fashion designer Mihaela Cretescu, fashion painting and drawings Elena Copuzeanu – location Galateca Gallery, Bucharest, Romania
curated by Iulia Gorneanu and Alin Galatescu http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsizW6e-0Yg
‘Virtual me’ Immersive video project in within the framework of PlatformaX – location WASP Bucharest, Romania – curated by Olivia Nitis and Ciprian Ciuclea http://www.imagofactory.ro/GAE/elena3/elena3.html co-creator and performer
‘NOW’ Performative installation, in within the framework Arts in Bucharest – location Simeza Gallery, Bucharest, Romania https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ED_JnxMBwBg ‘Meeting – XII public interactions’ Dance Performance and drawing , in within the framework Man against life – organized by UAP, Bucharest – location Simeza Gallery, Bucharest, Romania – curated by Alexandra Titu ‘https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcsVzG03EfQ creator and performer
FRAGMENTARIUM Interdisciplinary and immersive project financed by the AFCN Bucharest – location Stirbei Palace. Bucharest, Romania – project coordinators Elena Copuzeanu, Mihaela Dancs and Alexandru Patatics https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rX5FR677neQ
co-creator and performer
‘Self employment’ Public intervention/performance – location Commercial Centre Mall, Bucharest, Romania – curated by Cristian Neagoe – creator and performer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptTdElLCzfI
‘Method of elimination’ – Dance performance creation by Thomas Steyeart – location WASP, Bucharest – in within the framework Explore Dance festival Bucharest, Romania – performer http://vimeo.com/107648105
‘The fall of rebel Angels 9’ – dance performance creation by Catherine Galasso location ZonaD, Bucharest , Romania – curated by Cosmin Manolescu – co-creator and performer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGhIClIwxOY&list=UU0fsG3asyHH60hBZRCVjfkw
‘PROMENADE’ – Show/dance performance – location National Dance Centre, Bucharest, Romania https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcacq3QuH7s&t=95s – choreographer and performer
‘In Grivita’ – Immersive peformance in within the framework ‘Write about yourself’ coordinators Vera Ion and Octavian Dan , Emanuelle Nargi and Riccardo Brunetti – location Grivița street, Bucharest, Romania – co-creator and performer
‘ G I F ‘ Duet show/dance performance – locations National Dance Centre , Reduta Theatre Brasov and FIX Theatre Iasi, Romania – choreographer and performer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ie_U5cGkdWE
‘Self no.10’ Solo dance performance – location National Centre of Dance in within the framework LIKE CNDB Festival #2 – choreographer and performer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbmdgLZCElQ&t=24s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1QP-fiX0V0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qL_rc_nXPI8&t=11s
‘ Butterfly effect ‘ Solo dance performance – location WASP – in within the framework Explore Dance Festival #12 Bucharest, Romania – choreographer and performer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4J3u_YYISG8&t=207s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJTs0bl1720
‘ERGONOMICA’ Performative installation by Andreea Capitanescu and Emil Ivanescu – location WASP and different public spaces in Bucharest and Iasi, Romania – performer http://waspmagazine.com/conferinta-internationala-ergonomica-dans-si-arhitectura-in-spatiul-urban/
‘ SOFT ‘ Solo dance performance – location WASP, Bucharest, Romania – choreographer and performer
http://waspmagazine.com/en/5-solo-dance-performance-laboratorul-de-creatie-growasp-2017/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIXDXkoXiUc&t=56s
‘ Milk & honey ‘ Interactive protocol for the public and 4 performers – immersive and interactive performance, with Selma Dragos, Marian Catu, Vlad Benescu ( work in progress )
co-creator and performer
‘Macula lutea’ – Duet dance performance – location National Centre of Dance, Bucharest, Romania – choreographer and performer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WO8hq3qIf8&t=19s
‘Libido videndi/ Give me five’ Laboratorul interdisciplinar #TandemMARe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vw9UsMWELFw
‘Choreographic laboratory ‘ performative video installation at Centrul Artelor Vizuale, Bucharest
