This Artist Has a New Spin On Art in Oman… Literally!

Team Y meets Oman-based Romanian artist, Marian Doru Adaniloaiei, who comes with the vision to surprise, innovate, and help others achieve their goals.

Marian Doru Adaniloaiei is making waves in the Sultanate, striking onlookers down with his three-dimensional art masterworks based on his outlook of the world and the countless elements it includes.

People often say that ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder,’ and while avant-garde art forms such as these can be disregarded based on the tastes of the onlooker, this is not the case with Marian’s work.

His output follows the footsteps of string art – one of the most intricate forms of artistry that only came into existence in the late 1960s.

Essentially crafted out of string and wood, in its raw form, string art is characterised by a neatly-stacked arrangement of thread – mostly coloured – between multiple points to form a geometric pattern, design, or writing.

Today, it stands among one of the best-selling forms of art, but the 42-year-old Romanian-born artist entered the field with little to no knowledge about it.

In an interview with Y, he says: “Art has always been in my mind since I was a child. Even in school, I’d be more interested in spending time creating drawings and paintings than in studies.

“Maybe that had to do with Romania itself being such an art-centric country. Folk art and the traditional contemporary art scene has always been strong in Romania. This meant I would spend quite a lot of time working to make my dream of being an artist come true.”

Although Marian picked up his brush and began splashing down his thoughts on paper at the young age of seven, he says that he began simply with paintings of nature – and continued to do so until the age of 37.

The artist still incorporates nature into his art forms or, at the very least, draws inspiration from various elements of nature, such as trees and plants, clouds or even immense structures such as mountains.

“Art had become such an integral part of my life that I had begun making money out of it. And even if it was only a little, I was satisfied with whatever I had earned,” he adds.

During that time, he worked in other creative jobs such as interior designing, arts and graphic design, and even in construction design.

But in 2003, he decided to turn his life around when he caught a glimpse of string art on the Internet. His intrigue grew quickly, and he then enrolled with a workshop to get started.

“This turned out to be the best decision of my life. String art is one of the hardest forms of art that I’ve ever done. Its basics are simple, but the overall process is time-consuming and extremely difficult.

Today, his hand-eye coordination is beyond belief – his dexterity is exceptional when constructing a piece of art design. But, everything begins somewhere – and for Marian, it all begins when he sketches the design onto a piece of geometric paper (sheets of paper folded to form a three-dimensional structure).

He then hammers nails in the different prominent points across the paper that has been set on a wooden board. This is followed by following up with straight lines made by strings although, some can also be set in slightly different angles and metric positions.

The beauty of his works is in the colours of the strings that he has mixed and matched to create a medley of shades in his designs.

“String art is as much mathematics as it is art. You will need to understand the curves and make sure that the points that you’ve drawn out will result in your creating the end product that you initially desired,” he advises.

Marian’s 15 years of experience in this art – one that is only now gaining prominence in Romania – has led him to become one of the most sought-after artists in the field, with clients requesting custom-made works to add to their collection of art.

Marian’s recent work for a French couple – drawing the various stages of their relationship in a colourful facade of geometry and design – earned him a staggering RO2,850.

His works – on average – can cost between RO50 and RO1,500, depending on the complexity and the amount of time spent on them.

He explains: “Simple designs can be completed in a few days to a few weeks but more complex designs, which include writings and quotes, can be harder; those can carry on for up to a month or two.”

Marian now divides his time between his homes in the principality of Monaco and Oman (to where he first moved this year), all while simultaneously working on his passion and spreading the concept of string art to the public.

The artist has singlehandedly also set up workshops in countries such as France, India, the UAE, and here to teach people the art.

“Being a relatively new concept, it takes people quite a lot of time to understand what the art is all about. The response from here (Oman) has been amazing and I’m inundated with emails and calls from viewers who now want me to teach them how to create these pieces.

“And I believe in spreading art – there’s no need to keep it with me alone. So, I do hold training workshops when I’m in Oman for an extended period.

But, in a follow-up call with one of Marian’s friends (who asked not to be named), we learn that he now spends a lot of time teaching orphans, the physically challenged, and in hospitals teaching patients struck down by terminal illnesses in his hometown in Romania about string art; all for free.

His friend tells us: “Marian’s idea is that art can heal the pain inside. And by teaching these people, he believes he is giving them an opportunity to spend more time in creative works.”

Marian doesn’t comment but he isn’t shy in revealing that string art can be therapeutic.

“String art is one of the most satisfying work you can do. Just witnessing all the strings falling into place and the colours translating your ideas onto a three-dimensional form is so satisfying. I chose the right career.

“Everyone should try it at some point. It’s the ultimate test of one’s skills in art but at the same time it’s also a great opportunity to create something truly quirky.”

To find out more about Marian Doru Adaniloaiei’s work visit him on Instagram @stringartbymarian, facebook @admarian, or by email at stringartbymarianad@gmail.com.

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The post This Artist Has a New Spin On Art in Oman… Literally! appeared first on Y Magazine. Y - Pulse of Oman. All rights reserved. 2014. https://www.y-oman.com

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