ART CITIES:Berlin-Marius Bercea
Marius Bercea is a painter from Cluj, Romania. He finds his subject matter in the clash of aesthetics within the urban environment, an interest stemming from the shift he witnessed as Romania transitioned from Communism into a free market economy. Bercea broadened his focus onto the convergence of ideologies the world over, reflecting these surreal situations through studies of architecture and topography together with an application of bold color.
By Efi Michalarou
Photo: Blain|Southern Gallery Archive
Marius Bercea in his solo exhibition “Time Can Space” at Blain|Southern in Berlin, presents new work and demonstrates recent changes in his approach to painting. Within his interior and landscape paintings, largely influenced by the architecture and nature of California, Bercea portrays a sensorial reality through a hybrid of both real and imagined hidden places. Evidenced in the subject, aspect and scale of his new work, which range from large panoramas to small square details, Bercea has moved from the narrative-orientated travelogue of his earlier “Transylfornia” works and his view of California is now more deeply entrenched. Bercea’s scenes are often sparsely populated but where individual characters do feature they now take centre stage. Bercea’s emphasis here is on raising questions about these solitary players, their intentions and motives. In “Mosaic of Certitudes”, a lone artist sits by his easel, trying to pick up radio signals from foreign lands via a makeshift aerial on a rooftop garden, dwarfed by pot plants and inexplicably surrounded by airborne watermelons. In works such as “Earth Gender” and “Pluralizing Rhythm”, invasive foliage is encroaching rapidly on the built environment: growing through latticed fences, filling swimming pools and monopolising the frame as if in challenge to the human subjects. Bercea’s plants exist in both their artificial and natural habitats, either dominating manmade space or submitting to it, further representing multiple modes of being. Bercea’s interest in design is evident, especially the influence of specific Viennese architects such as: Adolf Loos, Otto Wagner and Rudolf Schindler that he traces from his hometown around the globe. His expanding collection of vintage design books, architecture journals, pamphlets and magazines provide additional reference points as he distils his memories and impressions from afar. In a new series of small details painted onto wood, approximately 15cm square, Bercea explores up-close the design features and architectural motifs that he finds in these publications. This also allows a conversation between small scale works and the large panoramas, which reveal expanded views of the same subjects. Spanning the far end of the gallery is a four-panel interior scene, Bercea’s largest painting to-date. “Physics for the Liminal Training” is an imagined scene inspired by theatre set design. This complex composition features optical tricks and curious objects coded with meaning, including a smaller painting that can be found hanging elsewhere in the exhibition.
Info: Blain|Southern Gallery, Potsdamer Straße 77–87 (Mercator Höfe), Berlin, Duration: 3/3-14/4/18, Days & Hours: Tue-Sat 11:00-18:00, www.blainsouthern.com
