Gert & Uwe Tobias (b. 1973, Romania) are known for their unique imagery, inspired by both the traditional folk myths of their country of origin and popular culture. Their artistic practice comprises ceramic sculptures, paintings, paper works, and large color woodcuts on canvases. The latter combines the classic painting genre with a well-known printing technique used for traditional propaganda as well as pop artʼs repetition of motifs. Instead of carving out the figure into the block of wood, they shape the individual motifs in plywood and use a roller to apply paint to the surface of each form, which finally transfers the color to the canvas.

The artistic universe of the duo has a direct connection to different art historical and cultural epochs, reflecting an anti-nostalgic use of images from current popular culture. Inspired by surrealism and abstract modernism, art history is an essential key to opening and grasping Gert & Uwe Tobiasʼ distinctive imagery. This matrix of isms breaks down the conventional distinction between art and craft and provides a renewed opportunity for the imagery of the works to re-emerge on its own terms-as an allegory of the fluctuating character that defines the contemporary art experience.