biography

Violinist by profession, Ioana Petcu-Colan is a relative newcomer to the Irish visual arts scene, weaving connections to and from her daily working life through her drawings. Using the literal tools of her trade, deconstructed and repurposed, she re-examines the patterns and shapes of instruments and musicality through a visual context, while a contemporary approach to academic drawing practices reflects the parallels and contradictions that co-exist in both classical music and visual art.

Ioana also explores the dialogue between sound and image through her violin, viewing her musical identity, and the relationships it has forged, through an alternative lens. Conversation and creation with other artists takes unexpected directions, with shared fragments evolving into collaborative interdisciplinary projects.

With her developing art practice, freelance work and role as Leader of the Ulster Orchestra in Belfast becoming increasingly intertwined, Ioana has recently decided to work entirely under her professional name, having formerly gone by Petcu-Colan as violinist and Lyness as visual artist.