Adrian Ghenie

Born in Baia Mare, Romania in 1977, when the country was still under the dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaușescu, Adrian Ghenie graduated in 2001 from the University of Art and Design in Cluj where, in 2005, he co-founded Galeria Plan B, a space that subsequently expanded to Berlin, where he currently lives and works. The artist uses palette knives and spatulas rather than paintbrushes, allowing incidental effects into his paintings rather than following a precise plan. His initial studies are collages, in which he combines extracts from newspapers and other materials to build the composition of the artwork. His paintings are a symphony of colours: he uses tube upon tube and layer upon layer of paint, which he overlaps and combines to produce the final lighting and tonality. An unconventional artist, his primary interest lies in the paradoxes of contemporary history. Ghenie’s ability to immerse himself in the collective subconscious allows him to express the complexities of our time, depicting them with strength and depth. His works are featured in prominent collections of contemporary art worldwide, including the Centre Pompidou in Paris, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and Tate in the UK.