Marius Bercea

Marius Bercea’s paintings draw on both memory and myth. For the last two decades, Bercea has been making large-scale oil paintings which tussle out the social and psychological aftereffects of the Romanian Revolution. Examining the fallout of the Iron curtain and the subsequent rise of capitalism in his home country, Bercea tracks both the public and private cultural shifts this political upheaval continues to bring about. Working with his signature fluid brushstrokes, charged colour palette and impasto texture, Bercea has painted urban imposing architectural scenes; he has tenderly rendered quieter pastoral tableaux and his portraits range from highly stylized vignettes in his studio, to more intimate, vulnerable portrayals of his immediate circle. Although the subject matter and tone of his paintings noticeable shifts with each body of work, this sense of deep cultural inspection remains. Echoing the diverse content of his paintings, Bercea has a wide plethora of sources he draws on for inspiration. The theatrical film sets of Derek Jarman left an imprint on the artist, as did the Nabi painters of fin de siècle Paris, Blake Edward’s 1968 filmic farce The Party and the compositional traits of Dutch painting. These disparate references surface in Bercea’s cacophonous visual language, as he continues to trace the intricacies of contemporary Romania. ...

Since 2009, François Ghebaly has presented an innovative, eclectic program of Los Angeles-based and international artists. With a history of identifying and championing diverse voices and emerging talent, the gallery’s roster has grown to include 27 artists and 2 artist estates, ranging from early career, such as Sharif Farrag and Ludovic Nkoth, to mid-career, like Christine Sun Kim, Meriem Bennani, Kelly Akashi, Farah Al Qasimi, and Genesis Belanger, to well established, including Sayre Gomez, Kathleen Ryan, Neïl Beloufa and Candice Lin as well as underground legends, like Patrick Jackson and Mike Kuchar. The gallery advances the reach of its artists’ visions by publishing exhibition catalogues and producing artist editions. Located since 2013 in a 12,000 square foot warehouse space in Downtown Los Angeles, the gallery is a mainstay of the burgeoning Arts District community, and recently expanded to New York's Lower East Side. François Ghebaly’s program demonstrates a commitment to challenging work across all media and to fostering the progressive, boundary-pushing practices of its artists. ...