Marius Bercea

Based on photographs and memory, Marius Bercea’s brilliantly colored large-scale paintings feature the landscapes of post-Communist early-capitalist Romania, both monumentally imposing and decrepit. Stylistically influenced by 16th- and 17th-century Dutch painting, Bercea’s works depict figures at leisure or engaged in collective activity against dramatic architectural backdrops. Inexplicable details, such as the stiff-limbed blow-up doll lying prostrate on a stool in Truths in Multiple Masks (2011), add surreal touches to Bercea’s works, enhancing the deeply personal nature of the narratives.