CURRENT ARTIST IN RESIDENCE: LAURENTIU ZBIRCEA

Laurentiu Zbircea (*2000) is a Romanian painter and representative of the Cluj School, whose previous generation has already firmly established itself in the field of European, and in some cases even world, painting over the last ten years. The artist’s work is characterized by a surrealistic and neo-expressive character; his practice explores human senses as pathways to memory, identity, and introspection, with a particular focus on the sense of smell, which he considers fundamental to instinct, attraction, and life itself. Inspired by personal experience, emotions, relationships, the body, paradoxes, contemporary issues, and the idea of existence, his paintings examine the intersection of instinct and consciousness and their influence on human experience. Through painting and image-making, he transforms lived experiences into visual narratives in which the human figure often functions as an alter ego, exploring vulnerability, memory, and emotional tension. Zbircea has exhibited his work at venues such as the Bold Gallery in Prague, The Cosmic House Gallery, and the Himera Gallery in his native Romania.