About Adrian Penu

Born in 1987, Transylvania, I showed proclivity towards drawing from a young age, copying Rembrandt sketches from a book my grandmother bought me from an antiquarium. At that time painting didn’t interest me, it seemed too messy and permanent. I don’t mind the mess anymore, I make plenty of it in my South London studio and the permanence of my work is what drives me to improve my painting skills, so my grandmother would be proud of me.

The artworks examine the human body in different situations, placing it in abstract surroundings that reverberate the emotional tension. Movement is indicated through directional brushstrokes and loose edges whilst depth is given by applying sharp contrast around the central focal point of the paintings, which fades towards the periphery, leading the viewer’s eye on a gaze trace.

The paint is applied in several layers - building up the values and tonality in stages and working from dark to light give the paintings a technical narrative, a story of the evolution of the artworks. The pieces also explore the universality of banal objects (boxing gloves, scissors, dental instruments) by transcending them from everyday items to subjects of contemplation.

2018, November - ‘In Between Space’, Collaborative exhibition, ArtNumber23 Gallery, London, UK

2018, August - Summer Exhibition, Candid Arts Trust, London, UK

2017, September - 'Alma' featured in 'Average Arts' magazine

2017, August - Summer Exhibition, Candid Arts Trust, London, UK

2017, April - "Adoration" featured in 'A5' magazine

2017, February - May - Exhibition at The Lacy Nook, London, UK

2017, January - "Skyscraper" featured in 'Average Arts' magazine

2017, January - "Alienation" Group exhibition, Room7 gallery, Athens

- "Alienation" Group exhibition, Cultural Centre of Moschato,Greece

2016, November - "Alienation" Group exhibition, MB3 gallery, Moscow, Russia

2016, August - “Alienation” Group exhibition, Ground floor gallery, NYC, US

2016, July - “Alienation” Group exhibition, James Oliver gallery, Philadelphia, US

2016, June - “Summer Salon 2016” Group exhibition, Islington Arts Factory, London, UK

2016, May - “Perceptions of the figurative” Group exhibition, 5th Base gallery, London, UK