Mircea Suciu

Predominantly working in oil paint and charcoal drawings, Mircea Suciu depicts solitary figures or groups—sometimes state and religious authorities—in spare surroundings and caught in moments of inner conflict. Suciu grew up in an area of Romania loaded with historical conflict and came of age during and after the 1989 revolution. Fascinated by what he describes as “the absurd actions of man,” Suciu explores human foibles and existential problems in his work, pointing to the psychological terrain of his subjects. In one series of paintings, Suciu’s figures poke their heads through windows or into boxes, appearing to search for a way out, or their faces are otherwise obscured, suggesting states of alienation. The artist mines imagery from 1940s and ’50s advertising, reducing down the elements and adding symbolism, sometimes inflected with dark humor. Suciu’s work has been compared to that of René Magritte.

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