Marius Craita-Mandra (b. 1969) graduated The National University of Arts in Bucharest, Romania (Faculty of Fine Arts, Painting Department) in 2000. His work includes solo and group exhibitions in Romania (“Simeza”, Bucharest – 2000, “The body in Balcan Art”, Timisoara – 2013, “No Borders”, Bacau -2016) and group exhibitions in Finland (International Evergreen Art sympozium Hovinkartano – 2007), Turkey (Beyaz Art Gallery, Ankara – 2007), France (Comme vous émoi Gallery, Paris – 2005, La Vache Bleu Gallery, Paris – 2008) and Belgium (“Why the black is not white”, Actionfields Gallery, Bruxelles -2010). Marius Craita-Mandra is one of the founders of “Colonia 21” artistic group that held a series of artistic residencies in Romania since 2003. He is also curator of some group exhibitions including: “Seven”, Bacau – 2008 and “Colonia”, Bacau – 2008. Among the most important awards he received are the “Romanian Plastic Artists Union” Special Award in 2000 and “Romanian Plastic Artists Union”, Bacau Branch Award in 2015.