artist interview - aitch

When it comes to art, Romanian artist Aitch - or Heliana Adalgiza to her nearest and dearest – is a bit of a jack-of-all-trades. Preferring not to settle for nailing just one artform, the multi-talented lass tries her hand at lino-cutting, painting, drawing, and even ceramics, and we're thrilled to bits with the whole damn lot. That's why we got in touch to ask a few questions about her craft(s).



What is your name and how old are you? My real name is Heliana and I'm 28, but most people know me as Aitch.

Where were you born and where do you live now? I was born in a small Romanian town called Roman, and now I live in Lisbon, Portugal for just a bit.



How did you get started with your medium? Studying Visual Arts in high school and at university offered me the possibility to experiment with different techniques and mediums, so after going through several phases, from drawing only in ink or printing with lino, to painting with acrylics on wood, I've discovered that each medium has its own beauty. Because each and every one is capable of expressing the same idea in such a unique manner, I decided to stick with all of them.

Please describe the space where you do most of your creation – whether it's your art studio or kitchen bench! The loft of the house I live in is a pretty neat space to create stuff. It has polka dots on the walls, a nice view over the river and a lush citrus garden right underneath the window.



Tell us a little about your creative process. Is there a running theme to the work you create, or do you just make whatever comes to mind? My work is mostly inspired by my memories, my heritage, the present and my dreams... Sounds kinda cheesy, but it's true! Every piece I create has a personal story to it, or represents some sort of an emotional discharge for me. For example, my last series, created for an exhibition here in Portugal called "The Imaginary Life Of...", might look like it is about some girls living in a fantasy land, riding cute flying beasts and growing as big as a house, but in fact they are all expressions of the process of my moving to a new country, having that feeling of not belonging, craving for a home of my own aaand so on.

What kinds of ideas and things are you working on at the moment? In the winter, me and my partner had to pick a theme for our August duo show, so the poopie weather kind of set the mood and the title. It is called "Coffins", and it's about feeling claustrophobic, trapped, a bit dead and cold... I must say, in retrospect, this was not a good one, especially when we have to work on it in the hottest days of the year with the birds singing in the orange trees and enjoying fruity cocktails.



What do you wish you knew about being an artist before you got started? I guess I wish I knew that at some point it'll start getting businessy.

Are there any other mediums that you'd like to experiment with? I'd love to do pottery and carve wood!

What's the coolest art tip you've ever received? I really don't know... Maybe the fact that you always should consider the taxes when setting the price :)



What do you enjoy doing when not creating art? I love walking! For hours and hours and lots of kilometres.

Where can we see more of your work? My website is aitch.ro and my facebook fan page is here.