A contemporary visual artist from Bucharest, Benterez began exhibiting collages in 2022, claiming a special tradition in Romanian art from the last century. Author of over 300 collages, many of which are in important collections in France, Italy, and the USA, she has appeared in international catalogs, auctions, and 10 group exhibitions. She works and exhibits under a pseudonym, wishing the filter through which her creation is perceived not to be altered by biographical data. She is exclusively represented by Galeria 1001 Arte in Bucharest where she has a solo exhibition and is working on a dedicated catalog. “When I start a collage, I will work not with the world as it is, but with the world that changes perpetually, in infinite ways. Every cut photo belongs to a world in which it had a clear meaning – an emotion, a message, a specific role in its composition or context. In collage, it will challenge with outrage the old role, emphasizing the hypocrisy of a vain and false aesthetics. A dog that stood for hundred years in the Arnolfini family portrait, as a token for loyalty, but also for a submissive wife, will start a whole new life after being cut by a collage artist and placed in a universe of infinite possibilities. The rebellious child of art as a social communication medium, the collage art is building twilights of language (as poetry also does), searching for a glimpse of the next better world.”
Favourite Tool: Scalpel on old magazines, books or letters.
