Artist Constantin Cosmin was born in Romania in 1993 and experienced tragedy as a teenager when he lost both parents to cancer. When I visit Cosmin’s London studio to view a new series of artworks called ‘King of Hearts’, he explains how art provided a common interest for him and his Mother during her illness, when they spent time together painting.
He says that if it wasn’t for the healing power of art and the support of his sister, he might be in a very dark place right now. However, he has channelled the pain of his formative years and the early memories of painting with his Mother, into a successful career as an artist.
Image courtesy of the artist
He explains: “I was painting with my mum before she died, not figuratively, she used to paint a lot of abstract seascapes to express her sadness because she had lost a child, and you know this affected her a lot. But we used to paint a lot of seascapes in very grey, dark colours. Then, after she died, I didn’t really think about it (art) for a while, because I mean, it was hard enough to survive.”
The joyful vibe and colourful palette of Cosmin’s art now seems to be in part a reaction or revolt against the sadness of his formative years, and the bright pinks, reds, yellows and greens of his heart-motif portraits counteracts the dark tones of those seascapes he painted as a child with his Mother.
Cosmin’s ‘King of Hearts’ series is the latest step on an artistic mission to create a signature visual alphabet populated by anonymous portraits based on a heart motif. This aorta-shape is repeated throughout the new series of paintings, sculptures and screenprints, inverted and flipped, and repeated in a rainbow of different colour combinations. Perhaps the heart symbol at the core of Constantin’s visual language is a metaphor for the heartbreak of his childhood, but it could also be a symbol of hope for a world experiencing conflict and division.
Image courtesy of the artist
Cosmin’s portraits are loosely based on friends of his, and there is an element of self-portraiture, but each portrait is stripped back to the essence of a person’s psyche, with simple lines representing eyes, mouth, eyebrows. The portraits merge elements of Pop Art with references to the digital world of emojis. Cosmin explains: “They all have different features or gazes…smiling or kissing.
They can even be like heart emojis. They’re not affiliated with anything that divides people, but they can be associated with the social media world that we live in. Instead of saying LMAO you can have one of these screenprints. I’m taking the emojis out of the digital world and exploring them through art.”
Image courtesy of the artist
Cosmin cites several artists who inspire or inform his work, although he is wary of imitating the greats and focussed on cementing his own style: “I love Warhol, Picasso, Basquiat, Matisse, Van Gogh. I absolutely love Francis Bacon. But it’s more about their life that attracts me than their art. We all get inspired, and even those artists were inspired by other people. My ongoing mission is to create a signature style which is recognisable as my own.”
Like Warhol, who was a successful graphic designer and illustrator for Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar before finding fame as a Pop Art Pioneer, Cosmin started out as a commercial artist. While he says he doesn’t create art now for monetary reasons, he found a niche for himself as a commercial artist when he arrived in the UK from Romania: “When I came from Romania at the age of 21, within a few months I was earning massive commissions as a commercial artist after doing things for free to begin with. I did a European campaign for Patagonia and the Lansbury hotel in a heritage building in Canary Wharf. I did all these commissions, but then after that I decided to do my own thing, instead of working with clients.”
mixed media on canvas, series “King Of Hearts”
Image courtesy of the artist
So, what is Cosmin’s ambition as an artist, and what artistic legacy does he want to leave? His ambitions are as bold as his imagery: “I want to open studios all around the world and take on every artist who mass produced art.
I’m nearly there because I already set up the ecosystem for it by creating the heart-shaped portraits. I can paint them anyhow, anywhere I want, I can make them into sculpture or paintings or screenprints. I’ve created an alphabet that I can repeat in different variations or mediums.
I want the people outside the art world to recognise my art, not only the people inside it. And finally, I ask if he has any advice for young artists? “Be yourself and retain your childlike qualities, because when you’re a kid, you’re not yet moulded by society. It’s so easy to create when you’re a kid. You can be truly creative.”
©2024 Constantin Cosmin
Lee Sharrock is a global creative PR consultant, curator and writer for publications including; Art Doc Photography Magazine, ArtLyst, Creative Review, FAD Magazine, F22, Runway Gallery Magazine, Soho House Magazine and STATE.
