Immediate Landscape 2023 –
Immediate Landscape visually surveys the Romanian urban landscape through an image archive that describes a personally defined territory – one unbound by borders or distance.
The photographs are geographically situated in the Republic of Moldova and Romania. The two countries share a very similar culture, the same language, and a common history, having been united from 1918 until 1940. In June of that year, the Bessarabia region (now Moldova) was occupied by the Soviet Union and became the Moldovan SSR. The other Romanian regions consolidated under the Socialist Republic of Romania in 1947, a state that went through its own communist regime until the execution of the Ceaușescus in 1989. Two years later, in 1991, the Republic of Moldova declared its independence.
As a consequence, today, they share similarities in their landscapes, often featuring improvised structures and lackluster infrastructure characteristic of post-communist states. The project aims to critically examine these particularities and create images that reflect the identity of the territory it represents through my own subjective vision. The issues of interest to the project include economic inequality, lack of infrastructural development, and environmental negligence.
I am one of many people from the Republic of Moldova who emigrated to Romania. My reason was to study photography at University, as there isn’t a program for it in Moldova. Since coming here, I have developed a fascination with finding visual similarities between the two countries, reflecting a bigger picture of their shared yet divided history. In both countries, we speak Romanian, listen to the same music, enjoy similar food, and live in communist-era apartment blocks. Yet, a border remains between them – a border that, for me, has slowly dissolved over the years.
This series reflects my personal journey and subjective affection for both countries, as well as my own history, shaped by living in each of them. It is in no way intended to suggest any political or unionist narrative. The images have documentary and artistic intent and present a subjective prespective.
Ongoing project.
Immediate Landscape 2023 –
Immediate Landscape visually surveys the Romanian urban landscape through an image archive that describes a personally defined territory – one unbound by borders or distance.
The photographs are geographically situated in the Republic of Moldova and Romania. The two countries share the same culture, language, and history. After WWII, they ended up as two separate states: Basarabia (now Moldova) was occupied by the Soviet Union, and Romania went through its own communist regime from 1947 to 1989. The Republic of Moldova declared its independence in 1991.
As a consequence, today, they share similarities in their landscapes, often featuring improvised structures and lackluster infrastructure characteristic of post-communist states. The project aims to critically examine these particularities and create images that reflect the identity of the territory it represents through my own subjective vision. The social and political issues of interest to the project include economic inequality, lack of infrastructural development, and environmental negligence.
I am one of many people from the Republic of Moldova who emigrated to Romania. My reason was to study photography at university, as there isn’t a program for it in Moldova. Since coming here, I have developed a fascination with finding visual similarities between the two countries, reflecting a bigger picture of their shared yet divided history. In both countries, we speak Romanian, listen to the same music, enjoy similar food, and live in communist-era apartment blocks. Yet, a border remains between them – a border that, for me, has slowly dissolved over the years. Through my project, I am drawing a personally defined territory, reimagining a reunited, though still historically-wounded, Romania.
Ongoing project.