Andrei Nițu, Fingerprint (detail), 2024, acrylic and oil on canvas, 150 x 100
Andrei Nițu, born in 2000 in Bucharest, Romania, lives and works in the Netherlands. Nițu, graduated in 2023 from the Royal Academy of Arts KABK, Den Haag. The artist states:
'My work serves as an external agent, capable of validating my own identity and functioning as a potent tool for propagating my personal ideology. I fabricate my paintings with a manipulative attitude, which I believe is historically characteristic of this medium, with the scope of momentarily controlling the viewer's emotional state.
My fascination with the human psyche and the duality of motives emerges from the juxtaposition of my own narcissistic tendencies and the backdrop of my country's totalitarian past, where masks of altruism were worn by those hungry for lasting influence.
As an individual diagnosed with Narcissistic Personality Disorder, I engage in the performative pursuit of the contemporary painter to unveil the profound connections between imprints of trauma, identity, and the nuances of ego. In my process, I navigate the realms of psychology, self-analysis, and the philosophy of production.
It is within this exploration that I dissect the paradoxes and contradictions that define us as individuals and as a society.
Rather than providing explicit illustrations or didactic translations of ideas, I prefer the power of ambiguous symbolism to reference the underlying motives and psychological complexities that drive human behavior. My body of work is characterized by a schizophrenic catalog of symbols, which when connected create a multifaceted narrative.'
After his graduation Nițu has participated in numerous exhibitions and projects, namely, Best of Graduates 23' by Galerie Ron Mandos, and Art Antwerpen 23' with Stigter Van Doesburg