Collage 

Ion Bitzan made this collage from paper and ink; a mix of script and images. Bitzan lived in Romania through World War II and the rise of a socialist republic, events that certainly shaped his artistic practice. The collage as a medium, is often a way to synthesize meaning and create new narratives through the juxtaposition of found materials. We can think about the top image of a tree and then the chaotic, handwritten text below. What kind of dialogue is being produced here? Is it an opposition or perhaps something more harmonious? Bitzan’s work invites us to reflect on how our own identities are collages of different experiences, cultures, and histories. This piece, with its layers of text and image, acts as a mirror reflecting the complexities within us.