Andrei M

I have always been interested in the peculiar freedom that painting offers, the possibility of inventing people, places, and circumstances without having to account for their existence. Much of my work begins with an image that has no particular origin, something that gradually acquires its own logic as the painting develops. I find the distinction between memory and invention increasingly unimportant. An imagined person can seem as familiar as someone encountered years ago, and a place that has never existed can carry the unmistakable atmosphere of somewhere once visited. Painting allows these things to coexist naturally. My approach is largely intuitive, although I have a strong attachment to composition, color, and the physical character of paint. I enjoy the contradictions that arise when recognizable figures inhabit improbable surroundings, when ordinary objects assume an unexpected significance, or when an image seems to belong to a larger history of which we have only a passing glimpse. I am less concerned with explaining these worlds than with making them convincing on their own terms. There is a particular satisfaction in watching a fictional character acquire a personality, or seeing an invented environment begin to feel ...

University of Calgary (Calgary, Alberta, Canada)
Visual Studies — coursework in studio practice, drawing and painting fundamentals, composition, and visual theory, with an emphasis on developing a strong technical foundation and critical eye.

2019 — Open Studio Nights, Calgary, Alberta (group)
2018 — After Hours Salon, Montréal, Québec (group)
2017 — Live Painting Micro-Show, Calgary, Alberta (group)
2016 — Small Fires, Montréal, Québec (group)
2014 — Pop-up Wall Show, Montréal, Québec (group)
2013 — Late Shift, Calgary, Alberta (group)
2012 — Micro-Gallery Hang, Calgary, Alberta (group)
2011 — First Run, Montréal, Québec (group)