Six Foot Gallery is delighted to present its annual Summer Show, featuring thirty-four artists working in a diverse range of mediums and disciplines.

Alexandru Morariu was born in Romania, grew up in Italy, and spent much of his life travelling, learning, and creating. He is deeply inspired by the sacred connections between mythology, spirituality and psychology. Visually, he is in search of classical beauty and gothic aesthetics merged with modern digital design.

His brand DerectumArt is a pseudo-Latin term meaning ‘standing tall or erect’. Thematically, it represents the exploration of the sacred light that shines across the infinite landscapes of the Unconscious. He works with symbolism, storytelling, emotion and mood, digital visual design, and philosophy. DerectumArt produces fiction, illustrated books, limited-edition prints and works on commission.

Thanks for being with us, Alex! How did your artistic journey start?
My journey started with notebooks filled with character drawings from when I was about four or five. I used to watch a lot of cartoons and movie on TV, and I read a lot of comics. Superheroes were my first inspiration and I used to draw the characters. Later on, I discovered video games, which generated more notebooks filled with character drawings from specific titles. I always loved the idea of bestiary, ie. a complete list of all the creatures in a game or story, similar to Pokemon.

As I got older I began to put the characters into stories that I drew as comics, or that I would act out in plays with my friends, or by myself with action figures. This combination of characters in a story is what, I think, sits at the foundation of my love for mythology, which I’d argue is the quintessential story structure of life.

Which artists inspire you? Are there non-artistic influences such as literature or music that impact your work?
My main inspirations are a mix of old and new. Gustave Doré is the subject of two of my works, including the work currently on display at Six Foot Gallery. I appreciate his brilliant mix of attention to detail, anatomy, and body language, alongside powerful black line art. The lineart is a reminder of other primary inspirations from my past, one of which is Japanese manga, specifically the work of Masashi Kishimoto, author of the very popular Naruto series, as well as American comic books that feature lineart alongside bold colours.

Music is, I’d say, a daily inspiration both in my art and storytelling. I couldn’t live without it! Through music I visualise and feel, and it’s probably the primary portal into the world of imagination and the Unconscious. I love listening to the soundtracks of video games and movies, neo-folk, metal, and many other genres, depending on the mood, but I’m primarily looking for something melodic and emotional. The work of Hans Zimmer, Ramin Djawadi, Trevor Morris, and Tyler Bates are good examples of a meeting of darkness and emotion, which powers most of my creativity.

Are there specific advantages or challenges associated with working in your chosen mediums? Have you experimented with other mediums or techniques?
I mainly work with digital but I used to do more hand-drawn work a few years back. I think working digitally allows for an almost infinite access to tools, colours, shapes and expression but this, at the same time, is also a limitation. Why? Because it can easily cause paralysis and a feeling of ‘it’s never good enough’, simply because you know that there is an infinite space for it to be better.

The rise of AI art has been a massive blow to digital art because you can now spend a week on a piece which won’t have the same quality or detail as an AI prompt you can generate in one minute. This phenomenon is also pushing me in other directions. At the moment I’m experimenting more with 3D models and combining renders (a 2D image of a 3D model) within artworks. Physical prints and objects remain one of my primary goals for my art because they are things you can actually touch and feel instead of just pixels on a screen.

What do you do to keep motivated and interested in your work?
Balance! If I spend too much time drawing I need to switch it up with something else, such as writing. Sometimes it’s even better to just stop doing art altogether for a few days or a week and go live life outside, interact with people and do something else. I noticed that every time I take breaks I return to my creative process with renewed inspiration. Aside from this, I tend to automatically consume a lot of stories in my daily life, from movies to video games and books. Character dramas are the primary lenses through which I see life.

What advice would you give to artists who are just starting out?
This is a great question, especially relevant to this age, and one I sought answers to myself by asking other professional artists on my podcast, ActiveImagine. I received many different and helpful answers.

As far as I’m concerned I can only speak from a more mystical/spiritual perspective, which I think is fundamental not just to artists but humans in general. Why? Because the world is changing rapidly and values collapse and are reborn everyday. It’s easy to feel as if art is either cheap, meaningless or only subservient to corporate or capitalist greed. I see art as an expression of the Invisible (also known as the Unconscious) or what I consider to be the world of the Gods, those forces that interact and live through us, pushing and pulling our lives into the narratives we are each familiar with. This means that, if you’re a creative, you have access to a world of infinite potential. You are a channel for the invisible that is producing the visible through you. And that fact in itself needs to be honoured, respected and appreciated. Being an artist has never been easy and the world rarely appreciates or understands the value of pure expression. So don’t expect an easy life, but a meaningful one, yes.

Is there anything else you would like people to know about your work or your experiences as an artist?
Aside from visual work, what I try to offer is a story. The experience of the sacred is especially dear and important to me. I have a blog over at Medium that contains explorations of mythology mixed with psychology, symbolism, and some of my art. Aside from this, I’m working on my second book, which is an illustrated fictional narrative inspired by sci-fi, myth, psychoanalysis, and the depths of the human mind. You can find my first book on Amazon titled Meliade. The main goal isn’t to just create a good story but to offer you a special, well-designed item to hold, touch and proudly display on your bookshelf. I have the same aim for my framed, signed, limited-edition prints, which you can get through my website; some are also displayed in small and large businesses across Glasgow. Finding them there not only helps me but also the local community. Get in touch for more info!

See more of Alexandru’s work on his Instagram or his Website, and be sure to check out his podcast on YouTube or Spotify. Our Summer Open Call Exhibition runs at Six Foot Gallery until Friday 23rd August.