Welcome! My name is Brândușa, also known as Shika Otalu as my artist identity. I come from the east, born in the beautiful country of Romania, and I am currently based in Bristol, UK.
My journey as an artist started in the early stages of my childhood. I enjoyed crafting clothes for my dolls and colouring, always fascinated how a hand with a pair of scissors can cut so many shapes and find ways to connect them into something new. As a teenager, I enjoyed customizing my clothes and playing with fabric paint. Later on, I discovered ceramics and fell in love completely. Unfortunately, my family never allowed me to study arts, scared it will not offer me a financial stability. Now, at the age of 32, all I want to do is use art to bring people together and keep creating.
My ethics:
I am a human living a clean life, practising gratitude and meditation as a form of connection very passionate about cultures and environmental work. Most of the fabric I use comes from donations I receive. In my sessions, I openly address the themes of sustainability, accountability and harmony. I often speak about the importance of honouring our ancestors, living life with gratitude and compassion towards ourselves and those around us, towards the land and all beings, inviting participants to reflect on the responsibility we have as consumers in this life. I care deeply about the connection we have with the land and the spirits of this world, and I seek to show them my respect through my daily practices.
My medium and goals:
I use textiles as my medium, currently dividing my energy between community workshops, exhibitions and creating merch. I enjoy guiding participants on the journey of hand stitching to create unique items as much as I enjoy my solitude, diving into the layers of fabric and using thread to bring to life concepts or feelings I process.
I am often inspired by symbols of sacred geometry and concepts related to quantum physics, seeing life as a multilayered experience that has one final destination: to return to the self.
My goals are to create hanging art with inspiring messages, embedded with cymatics when possible. I am currently experiencing with upcycling clothes into new designs.
My professional experience:
I started volunteering at the age of 15 in various cultural projects, some of them related to social issues, and have been involved in event planning and delivery for more than 12 years. I studied Special Psychology and Pedagogy at the University of Bucharest and graduated with a MA degree in Education at the University of Northampton.
My professional journey is divided between roles focused on social care and inclusion of differently-abled people, of all ages, and collaborations in the charity sectors, in jobs such as project assistant, project manager and community engagement worker. My creativity also expresses itself in the kitchen, cooking for retreats or events with over 50 attendees. I am very passionate about plant nutrition and especially alkaline diet, working with herbs and mindful approach to nourish our bodies.
Bristol became my home in March 2023 and that was when my freelancing in textiles took off! The magic of this place spoke to me clearly and since then, I delivered stitching workshops for a variety of community groups, including visually impaired adults and elders with dementia. Some of my local collaborators include Arnolfini Arts, Royal West of England Academy (RWA), Filton Community Centre, Bristol Refugee Festival, Bristol LoveJam, Nature Rising Project, Lamplighter Arts CIC and so on. This year I am launching my website, in a synchronicity with the first summer of facilitating workshops for several vegan festivals such as VegOutWest, The Peaceful World Festival, Vegan CampOut and the Great Vegan Gathering.
