From the studio

Mugur Kreiss. Beyond reality

Goddesses, icari, fairies... Mostly imaginary characters, in a reality that you can build yourself and where everything is allowed. Wings, extravagant costumes, colors and textures juxtaposed in unrepeatable puzzles. Why? Because it's about collage. Bits of photographs from glossy magazine pages find a new purpose, broken out of their context: to form something else. Faience, glass, wood, fabrics become leather, feathers, rich dresses, jewelry... It all starts from a photo, from a detail that is striking in itself. The story is woven around this first element. An expressive figure, artistically captured, can become an Inca moon goddess, an exuberant princess, a still unvanquished Icarus, a wise old woman...

Imagination adds wings, colors and elements that take you beyond reality. The title of the work is not even important, in fact; what you see leads you into your own 'beyond', into your own parallel reality. The Inca Goddess can suddenly turn into an unhappy girl because she can't fly with her wings too small, the exuberance of the Princess turns into a baroque pampering that is hard to bear, the Icarus becomes a vengeful angel, and the Old Woman seems downright zealotry...

Inspiration comes and goes - as in any form of artistic creation. Influences also change - from Klimt to Gaudí's mosaics - depending on the mood of the moment and the latest things seen, experienced, felt. What remains is the immense work, done with great patience, whose place is immediately taken by the pleasant fatigue of the end. The greatest joy? The otherworldly characters who submit to the state you're in when you watch them. A life-like reality. With good and bad.

In general imaginary characters in a reality that you can build by yourself and where everything is allowed. Wings, extravagant attire, colors and textures adjoined in unrepeatable puzzles. Why is that? Because this is a collage. Pieces of photographs cut out from the shiny magazine pages find a new purpose, away from their original context: to form something else. Tiles, glass, wood, tissues thus turn into leather, feathers, richly ornamented dresses, jewelry...Everything starts from a photograph, from a detail which impresses by itself. The story comes to life around that first element. An expressive, artistic, surprised figure may become an Inca goddess of the Moon, an exuberant Princess, an unbeatable Icarus, a wise Old Woman...

The title of the work is irrelevant, in fact; what matters is what leads you in your own "beyond", in your own reality. The Inca goddess might turn all of a sudden into a girl fraught with misery because she cannot fly with her too small wings; the exuberant Princess might turn into a barely endurable, for being excessively dolled up, baroque image; the Icarus becomes a vengeful angel, and the Old Woman looks quite sarcastic... Inspiration comes and goes - like in any form of artistic creation. Influences also change - from Klimt to Gaudi's mosaics - depending on the temporary mood and the latest things one has seen, felt and experienced. What remains is the immense work carried out with great patience, whose place is immediately taken by the pleasant tiredness of finalization. The greatest joy? The characters beyond reality which adjust to your own mood when you watch them. A reality very much like life, with its good and bad.