Masterclass with Ilina Schileru

Ilina Schileru is an artist specializing in graphic arts and the coordinator of the MNȚRplusC space.

Within the CdRF residency themed around the sexualization of women and femininity within a minority in Romania, Ilina chose to document women’s self-perception in a patriarchal cultural context. For the masterclass, Ilina will share insights into her artistic approach, focusing on the artistic process during the residency.

“Twenty years ago, I began documenting issues such as gender equality and women’s and domestic workers’ rights in the environment of my childhood, in a rural area not far from a former industrial town in southeastern Romania. After graduating from university in Bucharest, I focused on preserving the natural framework and the influence of capitalism upon it, through a formal photographic approach that documents exclusively this place and the people who live here. Since 2018, I have been involved in issues related to migration, working with women and children from the Middle East. The CdRF residency opened an opportunity to highlight how women are perceived and, most importantly, how they perceive themselves in an environment that is still deeply patriarchal.

In my artistic practice, I use various media, from drawing and painting to photography and video, as well as neon installations, addressing subjects related to social hierarchies through a visual aesthetic vocabulary, sometimes integrating a participatory component from the audience as well.”

— Ilina Schileru

The masterclass will be held online, on Zoom.