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Octavian Balea,
the “Large Glass”

[Some time ago, Octavio Balea contacted us from Romania. We learned about his enthusiasm for Duchamp and the horrible state his country is in. It was all the more surprising to see him put with what he called the ignorance of his people and express himself through art. He is angry at the legacy Ceaucescu’s dictatorship has left behind. As a caring and and enthusiastic young man, he is often laughed at, trying to open the eyes of his fellow students to modern art. Octavian draws, paints and takes photographs. A recent series of his work was inspired by Duchamp.]

“Here is why I painted that painting, on my parent’s glass: One night, at 2 A.M., staring at the ceiling, and at the walls, and I thought that the world was getting back at me for a mistake I had never made! I remember that I took the brush in my hand, and I started to paint on what was closest to me! The window was the first thing that I noticed. I was inspired by the genial masterpiece of Marcel Duchamp, called “The Large Glass.” I think that Duchamp wanted to tell more, more than the human mind is able to understand. More than the words can say. I am trying to find a better way to express what it is to express and it is not expressed yet.”