Meet: Ioana Elecfi
- Written byGiada Maestra
- Published date 22 July 2026
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We caught up with alumna Ioana Elecfi to discuss her time studying Illustration at Camberwell College of Arts and what she’s been up to since graduation. Ioana recently presented a solo exhibition at Temporary Art Gallery.
Hi Ioana! Tell us a bit more about yourself and your background.
Hi! I'm a Romanian-British artist working primarily in painting and illustration.
My creative path started in theatre and film, where I studied at the National University of Theatre and Film in Bucharest. Before I moved into visual art and completed an MA in Illustration at Camberwell College of Arts (UAL). My background still shapes the way I think about performance, narrative and emotion, even though my main practice now centres on painting and material exploration.
My work is about human experience - exploring the self, identity and what it feels like to be alive, through an intuitive, playful process. I work mostly from imagination rather than references, letting whatever surfaces - thoughts, feelings, subconscious impressions - find its way onto the canvas. Play is central to that: it gives unrestrained emotion somewhere to exist, while still balancing serious reflection with humour.
What did you study at UAL, and why did you choose that course?
I studied an MA in Illustration. Honestly, I'm still not entirely sure why I chose it. I was caught between fine art and illustration, and I think I leaned towards illustration partly because it felt more commercial - I imagined working for a publishing house, doing editorial work - and partly because the portfolio I put together for my application happened to fit that discipline better.
But beneath that, something more personal was going on. I'd always been frustrated that I couldn't draw in a conventional sense, and I think part of me wanted to prove to myself that I could. I had this idea that it would mean something - that I wasn't really an artist, or wasn't creative enough, if I couldn't draw. Which is a bit silly to be honest.
In the end, the MA helped me realise I was more inclined towards fine art. The course gave me something different to what I expected when I applied, which now feels like the most useful part of it.
What was it like studying a creative course during the pandemic? What were the main challenges?
It was a strange experience. Suddenly, a lot of learning moved online, which took some adjusting to as a 90s baby.
Studio time was limited, which felt frustrating for an art discipline that depends on being physically present with materials and space. The social side suffered too; hanging out with classmates, bouncing ideas off each other in person, just wasn't really possible.
That said, I think having the MA to focus on during lockdown was a kind of anchor. Without it, I probably would have struggled a lot more with everything else going on. So it's hard to complain too much - who knows how I'd have coped otherwise.
What did you do after graduation?
After graduating, I got myself a studio and just kept working - continuing to develop my practice and make new pieces. Alongside that, I was applying to opportunities, trying to get my work exhibited, and making connections within the art world. I also made a point of going to see as many shows as possible -it's a good way to stay inspired and connected to what's happening around you.
What does your creative routine look like?
I try to get into the studio at least 3 days a week, when I can - and even on the days I don't, I try to keep making something, whether that's drawing or just putting marks down on paper. Alongside that, I try to read something art-related every day - articles, news, anything - and keep feeding myself with films and as many shows as I can get to. If I’m not working, I always go to Gallery openings on Thursdays. But I also think taking time off is just as important as getting out, going for a walk, sometimes just staring into the void (in the best way!). And I try to stay creative in things that have nothing to do with my main discipline, since I think that constant looking and making, in any form, feeds back into the work eventually.
You recently had a solo exhibition at the Temporary Art Gallery in King’s Cross. Can you tell us more about the work?
It was my first ever solo show, and it's a very personal body of work, one I love and feel really confident about. The show was about rape. I wanted to create a body of work that, in a way, mirrors the experience itself - to open up a space for conversation about something that's sadly so present in our lives, and always has been. I wanted to create discomfort, and to put people, particularly men, into a position that's usually only occupied by women.
The exhibition is called Tools of Reckoning. It's a series of drawings made in response to rape and sexual violence against women, where familiar household objectsc - scissors, an iron, a knife - are reimagined as instruments of confrontation and accountability.
Women's hands recur throughout the series, as symbols of both vulnerability and resistance. The male body appears fragmented or altered - not as an act of revenge, but as a way of making visible suffering that's so often ignored or denied.
At its core, Tools of Reckoning is about reclaiming the body and giving form to something that resists language. I wanted to invite people to witness the human cost of rape, and to reflect on silence, accountability, and what it means to confront what's so often left unseen.
What’s next for you?
I'd love to do a residency. I'm hoping to apply for something in Europe. After spending most of this year focused on my last 2 shows - a solo and a group show - I'm looking forward to starting new work. I'd love to explore a new medium too. I don't know exactly what yet, but I'm in that reading and researching phase, looking for the next idea.
