The work offered here originates from the artist's early period of creation which he spent in Vienna, where Ghenie settled after he had earned his diploma in 2002 and had to face a painter's block. According to Ghenie, his study years yielded "very classic and symbolistic, almost anachronistic pictures in a 19th century manner which did not really match the taste of the contemporary art scene (quote from: http://de.blouinartinfo.com/news/story/878064/atelierbesuch-die-dustere-bildwelt-des-rumanischen-malers, online on October 17, 2016). Ghenie went to Vienna with the intention to live a normal life and to find an alternative to art. However, he could not quite complete his mission, as countless strolls through the gallery scene provided him with ever new inspirations for new artworks.