Gabriela Mateescu is a Romanian artist, curator and researcher, that lives and works in Bucharest, working with video, installation, drawing and performance. Her work is feminist, autobiographical and self-referential, following the social and relational aspect of art, as a medium that creates affiliation, closeness and long-lasting friendships.

Her relationship with her own body, disease, lovers, family, family history, and fear of death manifest through different works like a visual journal of different interests or experiences.

Gabriela is the founder of the collective cultural support group Nucleu 0000, that began as an initiative for her colleagues and generation to find spaces around the city to explore and exhibit and has grown to become an NGO, that organizes different exhibitions, conferences, gatherings and workshops, around feminism, digital art, building artistic collectives, interdisciplinarity, creating the context for artists to meet and collaborate.

Gabriela Mateescu’s research focus on the artist as curator and her interest in documenting artist-run spaces and artist`s studios in Romania stems from a deep appreciation for the often-overlooked contributions of artists – organizers who play a crucial role in shaping the art scene.

In her exploration of her personal path as artist as curator, Gabriela delves into the nuanced ways in which artists extend their creative practices beyond traditional studio settings. Instead of confining their efforts to the creation of tangible art objects, these artists immerse themselves in the intricate process of building relationships and fostering a supportive network within the art community. Their work is characterized by a commitment to collaboration, mentorship, and the exchange of ideas, challenging the conventional boundaries of artistic expression.

These spaces serve as vibrant hubs where artists take on curatorial roles to coordinate exhibitions, workshops, and projects that extend beyond their individual practices. These initiatives often prioritize network-building, creating platforms for dialogue, and fostering a sense of belonging among artists.

Since 2020 Gabriela is Managing Editor and designer for Revista ARTA. The purpose of the magazine is to map the Romanian contemporary art scene, to document it and offer a critical evaluation of its manifestations.

Anastasia Manole, the digital avatar of artist Gabriela Mateescu, employs a unique approach to her creative work. She uses a combination of stock images, Google-sourced visuals, and YouTube video clips, relying on basic montage and editing skills.

One of the core themes explored by Anastasia Manole is the online environment. She delves into this subject through video and installations, with a particular interest in post-feminism and the online experience from a woman’s perspective. Her work examines how the virtual realm has, for many, become the primary reality, and as a result, the distortion of images to the point of absurdity no longer sparks doubt. This concept reflects the profound impact of the internet on our perception of reality and the blurring of the lines between the physical and the digital.

Anastasia’s artistic style is characterized by her playful use of stock materials. She overlays these elements into bright, colorful collages that often traverse the border between kitsch and naive art. This playful approach, the intentional fragmentation, and the unfinished quality of her pieces can be seen as a commentary on the aesthetics and visual culture of the internet. This commentary highlights how art, in the digital age, often mimics reality so closely that it becomes challenging to distinguish between the two. It speaks to the altered perception of reality online, where “truth” is often accepted without physical evidence.

Notably, Anastasia is also a co-founder of spam-index.com, a platform dedicated to promoting digital artists from Romania. This platform serves as a valuable space for showcasing the work of emerging digital artists and contributing to the vibrant digital art scene.