MVM3D

Manu is a Romanian contemporary artist whose practice explores the transformation of material and meaning through mixed media. Working with acrylics, collage, and reclaimed elements, her work investigates the tension between fragility and permanence, value and discard.

Influenced by Constantin Brâncuși’s essential forms and the expressive freedom of artists like Gerhard Richter and Damien Hirst, Manu constructs visual languages where repetition, texture, and material contrast become carriers of memory.

Emerging from a post-communist cultural landscape, her work reflects an ongoing negotiation between past structures and contemporary identity, proposing art as a space of resilience, renewal, and redefinition of value.

Her artistic journey began in her hometown of Galați, where she developed her foundational skills at the local Pupils’ Club. There, she studied iconography, gaining early exposure to discipline, symbolism, and the spiritual dimension of image-making—elements that continue to inform her work today.

She later refined her technique under the guidance of professors affiliated with the Art High School, strengthening her understanding of composition, color, and artistic language. Although largely self-taught, Manu has continuously expanded her practice through independent study and experimentation. A notable influence is Ilya Ibryaev, whose expressive watercolor techniques have informed her approach to fluidity, layering, and atmospheric depth.