Geta Brătescu was one of the pioneers of conceptual art in Romania and has been a central figure of Romanian contemporary art since the 1960s. Her work includes drawings, collage, textiles, photography, experimental films, and performances. Within her avant-garde work, she continuously tackled questions related to female subjectivity, gender, memory, and the ongoing examination of the limits of creative expression. As an artist with a long career, Brătescu produced a complex body of work that showed an integration of life and art. Brătescu's works have been part of many exhibitions and collections around the world, including the Neuer Berliner Kunstverein;  Hauser & Wirth, Los Angeles & New York; the Camden Arts Centre, London; the Museum of Fine Arts, Ghent; Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg; Tate Liverpool; the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive; documenta 14, Athens & Kassel; the Venice Biennale; the Palais de Tokyo and the Paris Triennial; New Museum, New York; São Paulo Biennial; and Istanbul Biennial. Geta Brătescu represented Romania in the 2017 Venice Biennale with the project “Apparitions,” the first solo show of a female artist in the Romanian Pavilion.

The series devoted to Medea relates closely to cultural constructs around womanhood and the roles and activities traditionally ascribed to women. The mythical character Medea embodies the tragedy that can arise when social conventions come into conflict with personal emotions and desires. Medea is the anti-feminine character known for killing her own children in order to punish her husband for his betrayal. Even though the ‘portraits’ of Medea are non-representational, Brătescu’s distinctive interpretation of Medea has become repeated throughout her work, recognisable in various textile and lithographic depictions. Although Brătescu resisted aligning herself and her art with a social or political agenda, her interest in conflicted female characters such as Medea has prompted feminist readings of her work. The series of portraits of Medea were exhibited as part of Romania’s participation at the Venice Biennale in 2017.