Student Spotlight: Impact Through Art
Camelia Ryane, a third year student from Morocco pursuing a dual degree in International Relations and Business Administration, recently discovered her passion for art, and began a business around it!
When applying to universities she was faced with the decision of choosing between art and politics, finally opting for the latter. This choice was motivated by the desire to develop her personality and knowledge, as well as seeking to work in the field of peace building or conflict management after graduation.
In the Spring of 2017, Camelia was asked by one of her friends to produce a painting. Having never painted before, she felt unable to do it, yet her friend’s encouragement convinced her to try. Although Camelia had studied the History of Art in High School, this first attempt at painting served as a trigger to discovering her passion for art.
“I did the painting, I really liked it, and from then on I have continued painting.”
Since then, Camelia has created a collection of over 20 pieces of artwork, with the recurring themes of temporality, existence, and space being portrayed. Her interests lie in contemporary and abstract art, aiming to represent the emotions and energy she feels, as opposed to striving for realism. Her attraction to Spirituality led her to produce original pieces that have a unique feel and style to them.
“You will always see in my paintings a background of the universe, representing: time, space and existence.”
After selling her second painting, and receiving multiple requests from friends to purchase her art, she envisioned a way to make her artwork accessible to everyone. As a result, she began printing her artwork on t-shirts, bags, and other textiles, cataloguing her work through the use of Instagram.
Her designs have been showcased during IE’s first Start-up Fashion Show, wich was held on the 25th of November 2017. Organised by three students, the event featured nine brands from emerging designers in Madrid. The event was split in two sections, the first consisting of a catwalk to reveal each designers collection. The second allowed individuals to get a closer look at the designers work at their pop up stands, with the opportunity of purchasing clothing.
“That was an amazing opportunity to show my work to people from the IE community, get some support, and feedback.”
Due to the positive reactions she has received from people, Camelia is now looking to launch an e-commerce site this summer. This would allow her to sell her art through a more accessible and professional platform, as well as potentially extend her client base outside of IE students.
Aside from this, Camelia is currently working on a project called, “Connecting Cultures”. This venture gathers the work of twenty different artists coming from all around the world. In December 2017 the first exhibition was held in Madrid, at IE’s Velazquez building. The group of artists will now aim to coordinate more exhibitions around the world, especially in their home countries. This enables them to sell their artwork and raise fund for CEAR, an NGO based in Madrid that aims to help refugees.
“For me, the main purpose of art is delivering a message, and impacting people to promote transformational changes in society.”
I invite you to visit Camelia’s art instagram: @c.ryane, which displays her beautiful and masterful artwork, as well as the rest of her portfolio through this link: https://cameliaryane.myportfolio.com/