Cristina Niculescu

Ever the optimistic nihilist, Cristina Niculescu is a contemporary conceptual artist, immigrant, veteran, photographer, divorcée, writer, teacher, and other things. Born in 1981 in Bîrlad, Romania, she moved to the United States at the age of ten and has since lived, studied and worked in Europe and North America. Niculescu’s multi-culturally informed work seeks points of social tension and connection through photographs, performances and interactive installations. Her practice investigates the absurdities of the human condition, exploring ways to view power structures within late capitalism and reimagine expressions of gender.

Niculescu earned a BA in Spanish Literature and BS in Physiological Sciences from the University of Arizona and an MA in Spanish from Portland State University. She was elected leader of her class’ Pionieri Communist Organization at the age of eight, won the 6th grade school Spelling Bee in Carrollton, Texas, received a full-tuition Provost Scholarship in 1999 to the University of Arizona, and was a Distinguished Graduate of Air Force Intelligence Officer school in 2003. Cristina has taught college Spanish while making art in Portland, OR since 2009. She is currently a candidate in the Applied Craft + Design MFA program at the Pacific Northwest College of Art.