Marius Bodea (b. 1986) lives and works in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. He studied painting at the University of Art and Design, Cluj-Napoca, from where he holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees. In 2008-2009 he benefited from a scholarship to the Academy of Macerata, Italy. In 2020 he had a personal exhibition, “Into That Darkness”, at White Cuib, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. His works have been shown in a number of group exhibitions, including “Image Painting. About coming out in reality”, at Quadro Gallery, Cluj-Napoca, Romania (2018); “Encrypted message”, EBienale/First edition, Bucharest, Romania (2011) and “Lavori in corso”, Galeria la Grotte ABBA MC Macerata, Italy (2009).

Bodea’s works are sober and intriguing, depicting solitary figures, who seem to be lost in thought. Rarely using pure color, the artist prefers a cold palette, which creates anxiety and loneliness. Marius Bodea offers an original perspective on contemporary portraiture, painting from memory and creating unique, expressive, and dreamlike compositions. Human figures, often distorted, seem to dissolve into dark backgrounds, symbolizing the loss of identity.

(Cosmina Buraga)