Sergiu Ciochină is a young painter from the town of Nisporeni who has a passion for art. He recently won France’s talent visa and has just settled in Paris. He explores various styles in his artworks and takes part in different exhibitions held not only in France but also in countries like Italy and Spain. He says that this move allows him to gain recognition and appreciation for his work. “An artist must believe in what they do, create meaningful paintings, and offer them significance,” says the painter.
The artist is not just a profession, but above all, a way of life. destiny. vocation.
Sergiu’s passion for art began in his childhood, as he was captivated by the illustrations of the book “Where is my Sister” by Sven Nordqvist. His talent grew and developed during his teenage years when he attended the children’s art school in the town of Nisporeni. Later, at the age of 17, he started studying at the Republican College of Fine Arts “Alexandru Plămădeală” in Chișinău. He believes that being an artist means more than just a profession; it’s a way of life, a means of conveying emotions and messages through colors and forms. He fondly remembers his teachers from Nisporeni, Mihai Nicolau and Constantin Danu, as well as Veaceslav Fisticanu from Chișinău, whom the painter credits with providing him with “a solid artistic foundation.”
“The attraction to visual art has been present since I was a young child. A landmark that amazed me was the book from the village library, ‘Where is my Sister?’ by Sven Nordqvist, a fantastically illustrated story. Then, I began to explore the field of art at the age of 13 when I attended the children’s art school in Nisporeni, where I studied for 4 years. Later, at the age of 17, I began my studies at the Republican College of Fine Arts ‘Alexandru Plămădeală’ in Chișinău. Currently, I have taken a break, contemplating the meaning of the studies I could pursue, convinced that being an artist is not just a profession, but above all, a way of life,” says Sergiu.
Sergiu’s works explore profound themes such as love, loneliness, freedom, interpersonal relationships, family, and fear. The painter mentions that the interpretation of these themes depends on the perception and understanding of each viewer.
“The Kiss” 158 x 225 cm / Oil on canvas / 2024
“In my art, themes such as love, family, fear, freedom, loneliness, and interpersonal relationships emerge. However, any other theme has the right to exist if discovered by those who view and understand my creations. An important question is how the viewer perceives and understands these themes. Only then, as an artist, can I assess whether the message has been understood by the viewer and if I have achieved my intended purpose,” Sergiu explains.
“I believe that the primary source of inspiration comes from within. All my artistic works are essentially a reflection of the soul and the daily experiences I’ve had throughout my life, starting from childhood to the present. Moreover, I don’t wish to be bound by superficial inspiration, but rather by that which arises during the creative process. Mostly, my ideas develop during the technical process; the implementation and realization of an idea largely depend on daily practice rather than fleeting ideas that may or may not arise,” says Sergiu Ciochină.
"In art, it's not necessary to make precise calculations, but rather to be guided by feeling."
The work to create paintings can take from a few hours to several months or even years.
“Everything depends on the nature of the painting and the task at hand. I can spend a whole year contemplating, sketching, and then bring the painting to completion in a week. Or I can invest a year in working on a painting, and then comes a day when I feel like I need to reassess everything and make radical changes. I believe that in art, it’s not necessary to make precise calculations, but rather to be guided by feeling, simply following our intuition without explaining or calculating anything,” says the painter. He maintains that an artist will not limit themselves to just one style in their art, but will always seek to explore and experiment to improve their skills. “
An artist passionate about their art never limits themselves to just one style but constantly explores new ways of expression. “I want to improve and develop the style outlined in the new series of blue paintings, where I create works that I intend to exhibit together once they are finished. I continuously experiment, and this is evident in the 100 drawings in the studio, which represent searches, steps that help me break away from patterns,” Sergiu recounts.
“Fly” 162 x 245 cm / Oil on canvas / 2024
“The biggest barrier is people, those who don’t believe in you and what you do. To overcome it, you have to ‘cut off’ friends and colleagues. Overcoming it is found in the family who are physically far from my studio and visual art, but from them, I receive the support and understanding necessary, for which I am very grateful,” says Sergiu. The painter tries to create a balance between his life in the studio and his life outside of it. Ideas for a new work come to him spontaneously and anywhere – while in transit, in the park, or traveling. “The blockage I encounter is related to the size and ideas I have. Usually, my works are large in size, so when I try to transpose an idea onto a smaller format, a blockage occurs. This lasts a very short time, specifically until a new canvas of 2.5 meters arrives at the studio,” Sergiu Ciochină recounts.
"The dedicated artist doesn't seek reasons not to create or be hindered; they seek solutions."
In the spring of 2023, with the help of the talent visa he obtained, Sergiu moved his life to Paris, the city that, he says, offers him new opportunities, new acquaintances, and ways to become known. “A Moldovan settled for four years in Paris told me: ‘I had to learn to live again.’ I subscribe to this idea too. The social difference is too great. Moldova is a wonderful country, I love it, I’m proud to have been born there, I learned, I grew up, but now Paris is ‘home.’ It has become the platform from which I want to make myself known, from where I can communicate my messages,” he says. Sergiu believes that a dedicated painter, regardless of the country they are in, doesn’t seek reasons not to create but finds solutions to make their work known. He maintains that in Moldova, it would have been possible to develop if he could have sold his paintings.
“The dedicated artist doesn’t seek reasons not to create or be hindered; they seek solutions. Whether in Moldova or in France, the potential of an artist can be equally nurtured. It is more challenging to sell art, to establish good prices for paintings, because Moldova is ranked low in many ratings, and that dictates low market prices, while we have wonderful painters who could be much better valued than those in economically prosperous countries,”.
Sergiu Ciochină exhibits his works at several exhibitions in France, Spain, Italy. “The most special one remains the first exhibition of the year 2021. The initial interactions with art, with people, are never repeated with the same emotional charge and intensity. Soon I will cross the ocean, and that makes me happy – to know that my art reaches the world, reaches their homes,” he says. If he hadn’t been a painter, he would have liked to explore the world of fashion, which he sees as “another form of artistic expression, with fabrics, colors, and shapes that become moving canvases.”
Sergiu Ciochină urges us to learn to live in the present with all its intensity and color, to be painters of our own lives and of the future. “Let’s leave the future like a clean, white canvas, stretched on a fragrant wooden frame, to find its meaning in the present, and let us learn to live in the present, as what we do today shapes the path to tomorrow,” the painter asserts.
Interview by Ziarul de Garda – the best-selling newspaper in Moldova.
Journalist – Doina Gutu.
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2 Responses
Exhilarating, profound and makes me feel new thoughts. I saw your work on Facebook and hunted you down. Those paintings were lush reninditions of shadows on buildings. Then your website has no e of these but we are offered intense, personal paintings that speak volumes. then I see you are so young!
Your life on canvas, every mark means more than words.
I’m almost frightened to see what comes next
Hello! Thank you for your comment, I’m delighted!
Here on this site, my figurative art is published, and on this site: mylandscape.store, you can see the landscapes you mentioned!