Tiberius Ciucinciu doesn’t just get the joke. He is the joke, the punchline, and that perfectly timed pause before it lands. The Romanian artist has carved out a sweet spot between absurd and brilliant, making it his home – right among self-petting cats, cloud-munching swans, and judgmental ducks.
For Meme Day at Displate, we asked Tiberius to share how to turn cursed ideas into hard-hitting art and what to do when your sketchbook starts roasting humanity.
What’s one reaction to your art that stuck with you – a comment, a message, a repost?
Besides the overwhelming gratitude and joy I felt seeing my art sell well – especially the Pathetic Duck – I had very mixed feelings when I discovered my work being pirated on Amazon, eBay, Temu, and elsewhere. Shock, annoyance, and anger mixed with flattery and amusement. I couldn’t believe my art was valuable enough that some jerks would rip it off to make a buck.
I got pretty upset calculating how much money I’d lost. Then I got even more upset seeing my art edited with crappy textures or sold in low resolution. I even met someone who had my art purchased on Temu.
The long, boring process of reporting each piece was frustrating, but luckily each report was approved, and those shops got shut down. Some people even messaged me crying, begging me to retract my report, claiming they didn’t know it was stolen. That’s when the spirit of the Judgmental Duck took over, and I replied with just one word: “PATHETIC.”
And now… I have to do it all over again, because the piracy problem has come back, like slugs after the rain. Those slimy bastards.
If one of your artworks could come to life for a day, which one would you trust with your keys?
The Treat Yourself cat. I think he’s called Marius.
I would definitely give him the keys to my apartment, my car, my bicycle chain, my chest of gold, even my cold, dark dungeon of inescapable torment. Marius could make every place feel warm, welcoming, and utterly wonderful.
Which of your artworks would you want plastered on a billboard, towering over a busy, buttoned-up city?
Foraging Wild Edibles. It’s by far my favorite piece I’ve created.
I’d put it in the middle of the city to remind people to relax and let their hearts and thoughts drift into their imagination. Just to remind them that gentle giants might be wandering in the most remote places or hiding in plain sight – and that you have to be patient and sneaky to truly notice them. Urging them to take a break and enjoy a simple trip in nature: just camp beside a green spot and listen to Pink Floyd until morning.
Is the Judgemental Duck still judging us?
Of course. It’s judging us as much as we continue to judge ourselves. And it’s judging me for not painting the Understanding Chicken or the Accepting Turkey.
