10 Questions with Bianca Turner

Bianca Turner is a self-taught artist; she holds degrees in economics and biology. Her paintings hang in private and corporate international collections and at Haegeumgang Museum in South Korea. Her work has been featured in various art publications. She received the Woman Art Award from MUSA International Art Space in 2018 and 2020. In January 2020, she was awarded the Leonardo da Vinci International Prize - The Universal Artist, which she received in Florence, Italy.

In June 2021, Turner was part of the curatorial team that organized the art exhibition of HRH Archduchess Gabriela von Habsburg in Romania. Turner was also one of the main media sponsors of this European cultural event, along with Forbes magazines.

In January 2022, Turner became an IAVA-UNESCO artist. Turner is an Associated Professor at the University of West, Visual Arts Faculty in Timisoara, Romania. She is the author of "The Business of Art" - lectures and seminars. The book was officially released in the USA in November 2023.

Turner works from her home studio in Los Angeles. Her 2023 art projects included a solo exhibition at The Artists' Gallery in Los Angeles, various group exhibitions and charity events in Europe, and a solo exhibition at the Sasse Museum of Art, Pomona, California.

In January 2023, Turner was nominated as one of the "Top 30 Women Leaders To Look Out For in 2023" by The NYC Journal. In 2024, Turner will have solo exhibitions in South Korea, Paris, London, and Los Angeles, and she will start writing a second book addressing the business needs of art curators and art galleries.

biancaturner.art | @biancaturnerart

ARTIST STATEMENT

Born in Alba-Iulia, Romania, Bianca Turner's art is deeply inspired by nature, its vivid colors, and the societal issues surrounding her. She sees art as "the definition of infinity," and her work explores the continuous transmutation of the evolving essence of life and nature. Visions and words turn into colors and textures to create new narratives in this dimension of infinity.

As an artist, Turner feels that it's important to bring awareness to the world regarding various problems that affect us as a whole; therefore, she focuses on sending out a message to everyone about real problems that regular people have, trying to make each person think about what an individual's impact in this life is. She is convinced that we all must leave a legacy behind us for future generations, and her job is to transpose this concept from her art to the public. The purpose is to make her fans and the ones who see my work understand that the Future, Hope, and Success of the next generations start with every one of us. We should not say "I hope" - we should always say "I am hope" – this is at the foundation of her compositions.

Pebbles on my soul, Acrylic and gouache on paper, 14x17 in, 2022 © Bianca Turner

INTERVIEW

First of all, introduce yourself to our readers. You are a self-taught artist and actually come from an economics and biology background. How did you get interested in art, and how did you start experimenting with images?

I am a self-taught artist. I currently reside and work from my home studio in Los Angeles. I started to paint over 25 years ago, using this hobby as a relaxation technique after the long and stressful hours spent working for various American corporations. I have a PhD in economics and post-graduate studies in marine biology. My job as an economist was always extremely demanding. At some point in my life, I decided to continue my studies in biology because I was always in love with anything connected to science, and I was looking for a way out of "the business world". However, although I was studying very hard, using even my work breaks to write my dissertations in the car, and falling asleep with my head on books or near the microscope, I was still not happy - something was missing and I was not fulfilling my soul. I discovered the hobby of creating art through my relationship with my significant other, who is a musician. Unfortunately, my family situation was always extremely difficult at home because I live with someone who suffers from a mental disorder that consumes all of my energy. Therefore, after more than 20 years of hard work for unappreciative corporations, I decided to take some time off and focus on taking care of myself for once. Of course, I was and still am the caregiver of my spouse, but I can escape from his mind by painting and pouring my imagination onto the canvas. The time I spend with myself painting, creating art, and meditating gives me back my energy and power to move from one day to the next. I can say that I found refuge from my daily life in my own mind that can roam freely on various surfaces that I use when I paint. I get inspired by a lot of things, mostly taken from nature and especially from under the water, but I also get artistic stimulation from the events that happen around me.

How did you develop into the artist you are today? What experiences or training helped you finesse your practice?

In the last 7 years I painted a lot. My inventory was growing larger, and the economist in me made me approach the art world in a different way than other artists who can't get separated from their creations. All I knew was that marketing, as a science, can be applied in any industry. Although I had no idea what marketing in art meant, I started to do my own research and learned how to promote myself as an artist. My business instinct was telling me that I had to put my name out there in the world and take the paintings out of my studio. I created my own website, I started to work on a social media marketing strategy, and I participated in a few international art shows. That was the beginning of my artistic career. I started to sell my work and to be seen by the galleries and other artists. Being extremely disciplined allowed me to work daily on my PR for at least 30 minutes and then spend a lot of time in my art studio. I was also communicating with everyone from the art world (galleries, art fairs, art dealers, etc.) in a business manner, not procrastinating, keeping it professional, and not knowing how to act like an artist, but being myself, the economist in the art industry. It seems that my openness and my modus operandi pleased a lot of gallerists because they appreciated how easy it was to work with me. I am the type of person that I like to be known for working well in a team and keeping myself accountable. When I started to build a strong online presence as an artist, other artists from around the world started to contact me and ask for my advice regarding achieving success. I did not have much time at my disposal to offer consultancy in this field because I was aware of the fact that I had to develop my artistic skills. I decided to write a book for all the artists to have it as a guide on how to become a successful artist. In this way, I also started to collaborate with various visual art institutes in the world - they started to invite me to lecture from my book "The Business of Art". The feedback from the students was excellent - they were telling me that my book gave them HOPE in the sense that after they graduate school and become independent artists, they won't need to work in a retail store or find a job in a pub serving drinks. Then I realized that myself, I didn't have just a job as an artist, but I had a career.

How would you define yourself as an artist?

I am the type of artist who filters emotions through the mind first and then through my soul. I usually "THINK a piece of art" that I want to create, I develop it in my mind, I research that subject or theme that inspired me, I filter it through my neurons, and once it is almost done on canvas or other surface, I add the emotion to it. I love the lyrical shapes more than the rough edges; however, I am extremely attracted to the optical illusions and the tricks they play in our minds. Although I can't find myself in one style or another, I usually choose strong, bold, vibrant colors because they match my personality and intricate patterns because they represent all of the connections that are made in my mind. I think about art even when I fall asleep.

What does, in your opinion, differentiate your art from others?

My art is different from other artists' work because it comes from my mind and then from my soul. Also, in every piece I create, there is a hidden message, a symbol, or a title that continues the work. I like to make my public think about what they see in my paintings and then remember that idea or the emotion that was transposed through the message from the art to their mind and soul. I know I did a good job, and I achieved my goal as a human being when the feedback from my art patrons is, "I couldn't take my mind off that painting you made".

COMPLEXITY, Acrylic on paper, 17x14 in, 2022 © Bianca Turner

On that note, can you tell us about the process of creating your work? Where do you find inspiration, and how do you translate it into your work?

Although I do not believe in luck, I can say that I am a lucky artist because I find inspiration in almost everything, from the beautiful nature that surrounds me here in California, to a joke, a word, a title caught with the corner of my eye in the news, the masquerade created daily by the world's leaders, my sarcastic way of seeing life, my sense of humor, my dog's habits, my philosophical conversations with my mom, etc. I think that we can train our minds to always think inside and outside "that box".

What messages do you want to convey with your work?

My entire artist statement revolves around the message that I want to convey with my work. I am firmly convinced that we all need to leave a legacy behind us; in my opinion, it would be wonderful if we could leave a good legacy, but it seems that nowadays "good" is defined by a lot of synonyms and antonyms depending of every person's past experiences and their level of understanding life. As an artist, I feel that we should not say "I hope"; instead, we should all accept that WE NEED TO BE THE HOPE for future generations. Helping other artists to succeed, working as a team with the galleries instead of seeing them as our superiors, accepting the feedback in a better way than in a bitter way, taking the lead in our artistic career is the hope I want to bring to the art world.

Is there anything else you would like to experiment with?

I am currently working on painting on leather, and I started to recondition a lot of vintage leather handbags I have. I have noticed lately that a few artists in Los Angeles have begun to follow my ideas, and I am happy that I have had an impact on their creative ways. I am also focusing on learning more about creating haute couture shoes and other decorative items. In the future, I will definitely learn how to work with metal and glass. I am the type of artist who always finds ways to keep busy and experiment with everything. Recycling is dear to my heart, and what better way to discard the unwanted objects that otherwise would make it into the trash bin than incorporating them into a piece of art?

You are currently based in Los Angeles. How is the art scene and art community there? Do you find it an interesting place to work, and does it offer good opportunities for artists?

As a European-born artist, with a European accent, in Los Angeles it was extremely hard for me to penetrate the art market. Although Los Angeles is seen as a big metropolis open to everyone, in fact, it is a closed-minded city where the artists are evaluated based on their ethnicity, age, and look more than on what they can offer as an artist. Due to the fact that the movie industry has a strong presence in Los Angeles, the art world is more superficial in comparison to other American cities or large metropolises from other continents. Unfortunately, the movie industry created a way of operating the entertainment business based on shallowness, nepotism, who you know, or how much money you have. Therefore, it is not an easy way to make it in Los Angeles. I am happy that in the past years, our city started to focus more on the visual arts; more galleries have been opened recently, and some gallerists have started to understand that working with an artist is a win-win situation for both, instead of turning the artists away from Los Angeles. We are all excited by the fact that in 2028, we will host the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, and now the city is booming with changes and opportunities.

The stories my dog tells me, acrylic and gouache on canvas, 20x16 in, 2022 © Bianca Turner

What are you working on now? Do you have any projects you are looking forward to for this year?

I am currently preparing for three upcoming solo exhibitions that will take place in Los Angeles and the surrounding areas. The first solo show in 2024 will be held at a beautiful new gallery that will open in January in Culver City (part of Los Angeles County). The gallery is called CADFAB, and I am extremely pleased to work with a great curatorial team, very open-minded, talented, and with a strong desire to help the artists' community. The theme of the show is "Beyond AI" and it will be different from other shows because I want to demonstrate that artists can create better art than AI. If AI gets inspired by the artistic styles inputted in its algorithm, human intelligence can go beyond any borders of the creation and imagination. I like to say that "art is the definition of infinity" (Bianca Turner) and this quote really applies to the human mind and soul. In 2024, I will also participate in group shows in Paris, Seoul, London, and Barcelona. I also started to write a second book that approaches the business of art from the art curators/gallerists' point of view.

Finally, as we are almost at the beginning of a new year, what are your goals for 2024?

One of my paintings is called 'Always becoming'. I think that as an artist and as a human being, we have to be in constant research to evolve, become better, and overcome our own obstacles in addition to the obstacles created for us by external factors. Personally, I want to focus more on charity foundations and work closely with them in order to be able to give back to the community in our city and other areas of the world that are in need. 2024 will also be the year when I will write the book that is already created in my mind, and it depicts stories from my life since I was a child, growing up in a communist country, stories about what it means to be an immigrant in the USA and aspects of my life as a caregiver to a loved one.

Artist’s Talk

Al-Tiba9 Interviews is a promotional platform for artists to articulate their vision and engage them with our diverse readership through a published art dialogue. The artists are interviewed by Mohamed Benhadj, the founder & curator of Al-Tiba9, to highlight their artistic careers and introduce them to the international contemporary art scene across our vast network of museums, galleries, art professionals, art dealers, collectors, and art lovers across the globe.

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