Stefan Norbert

Norbert Stefan studied fine art in Cluj-Napoca, a city in the northwestern region of Romania. This strong connection to his Romanian heritage facilitated Stefan‘s correspondence with other Romanian artists, leading to Stefan assisting Adrian Ghenie in his Berlin-based studio. This granted him the opportunity to continue his studies much like a Renaissance apprentice. Recognition from the British curator Jane Neal facilitated Stefan's departure from Ghenie‘s studio in pursuit of his own artistic endeavors. Inspired by the ferocity and youthful decadence of contemporary Berlin, Stefan embraces pure abstraction, free association of layered colors, and decalcomania. Decalcomania, a printing technique that transfers engravings and prints to pottery and canvas, is a distinctive feature of Stefan's seemingly psychedelic works. In his atmospheric paintings Norbert Stefan uses blurry details and abstract fragments. The layers of paint evoke the strata of stone, soil, and sand unearthed by archeologists to unravel the shape of history. He draws from psychoanalysis and constructs a whole cosmos through his color prints.