Alex Antonescu

Alex Antonescu is a Bucharest-based illustrator whose work celebrates colour, joy, and inclusivity. Queer and proud, he brings a playful yet thoughtful approach to every project, representing diverse communities and stories with authenticity and care.

His practice spans murals, editorial illustration, and brand collaborations. Highlights include a large-scale mural for Save the Children Romania at Polizu Hospital and Maternity, a colouring book for L’Oréal Paris, and OTOTO, his first solo exhibition.

Colour often leads his process, shaping compositions that feel lively and expansive. Whether working on public art or intimate drawings, Antonescu invites viewers into worlds that are bold, generous, and full of life.

What does colour mean to you?

Personally, I’m a maximalist and I love colour. I don’t see myself being surrounded by sterile/black and white - everything colourful is the way to go for me - colour speaks to me. And creatively, colour is the thing that makes my work feel finished - it’s the final touch that makes my illustrations come to life.

What kind of story are you telling when you fill a piece with colour?

That’s a lovely question because I love colour, I live through colour. When I tell a sad story, I usually use greys and blues. When it’s happy, it’s yellow. When it’s bright, it’s every colour under the rainbow. My illustrations without colour don’t tell a complete story; my complete stories are always filled with colour. I don’t have illustrations that are just outlines; I fill them with colour to finalise the story.

Why is it important for you to represent every kind of person in your work?

This is how I started my illustration journey. The first illustrations I ever created were of androgynous characters who enjoyed living, and it was kind of my manifesto as an artist to bring diversity and help people feel seen. As a queer person, I want to see non-binary characters, I want to see queer characters, and I want to be as diverse as I possibly can, so it’s the most important element of my work.

What colour feels most like you right now?

If you’re asking me, I would say yellow because I feel yellow always. But if you ask the people around me, I think they would say rainbow, because I try to bring sunshine everywhere I go.