Ţepeş



"When I look at Macri's Vlad, the last thing that comes to mind is bloodletting or a blood-curdling scream. Although the man's serene face doesn’t send shivers of revulsion up and down one’s spine, it may induce anxiety, stimulate cultural curiosity, elicit applause over the artistry, arouse erotic longings, or create a complicated combination of many emotions, depending upon the viewer. There are so many adroitly arranged elements in this portrait that the more I stare at it, the more meaningful the image becomes."

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"Ancient future. The God of the Underworld!"
~ Wylie Wong (Fine art dealer)

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".. and so you APPEAR transfixed by your own method of execution, impaled object ever to Become a living coat of arms! Excellent!"
~ Phillip Wilcher (Australian composer and pianist)

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"Emperor Adamo, you look like a Mayan king! I do not know the roots of the influence, at first thought it makes me think of Mesoamerican royalty. One of your MOST vibrant works. Really striking!."
~ Jonas Cukierman (Film, Production Coordinator)

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"... even thou I've seen this before, it still does the same thing to me. It frees my head to express clearly the first print. My first comment in 2014 was 'exoskeletal blooms'.. but this time it's the movie 'Matrix', a very impaling movie and concept. Adamo as the exoskeleton grows.. it enters the holes, impaling the Entire fabric of the form / turning it inside out. I feel comfortable commenting on your work, it's very intimate and personal and I feel very connected to it."
~ John Felice Ceprano (Ottawa rock sculptor, painter)

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"Brings to mind the ornate statuary of Hindu Gods in temples seen / Oriental Demon masks and ancient civilizations. Almost as if the 'creation' is Taking Over the body of the man.. fusing with your flesh as well as mutating into a new incarnation. Everything is so clear to me now.. The StarChild / Old Man / Bowman 2001 A Space Odyssey!"
~ Theresa Pope Church (American scientist)

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"Explicitly named Ţepeş, it is very cool and sculptural in presentation, the head and upper torso carefully costumed and posed in a subdued yet glowing light, the eyes dark and the face expressionless as in many of Macri’s portraits. The title brings to mind a plethora of stories and folklore, movies and popular misconceptions. Who hasn’t heard of Vlad Ţepeş, more commonly confused with Dracula?" 

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“Let's take the Dracula story for example. When you examine the evolution of information, it's mind-boggling. A historical 15th-century occurrence, which began with warlord Vlad Ţepeş, is recounted by what was then oral history. Starting from the beginning, forming an interpretation of the truth, all depending on who is presenting the story. Authors start by publishing their own versions and points of view, which are subsequently turned into screenplays, which are then adapted into romanticized forms for film, and so on.”


Ţepeş, 2014
Photography: Chromogenic C-print
69 x 61 cm
Overall: 79 x 72 x 4 cm
Edition: 2