It was awesome! I must admit that I got a bit afraid. We found out with the organizers from the French Institute (Institut Français) from Cluj-Napoca that on June 28th, the very same day of the opening of my Histoire Urbaines exhibition, at the same time, was happening the opening of the World Press Photo 2018 exhibition, a few under meters down the road! Talk about competition… It was anyhow too late to change the date of the opening, therefore we went for it hoping that not only my friends will show up 🙂
And far from that, about 150 persons came the first evening. For a small scale exhibition on a niche genre with such a competition, it really was an accomplishment!
The place in itself, a cave with visible stones and bricks of the walls, the tubes, gave a great urban feeling, that went very well with my photos. I couldn’t have wished for a better place. The mood was set, all these people came and, I hope, had a good time.
It was a very interesting social experiment for me, to have my own exhibition: meeting all these people interested in my work just never happened before. And I had so much fun talking with them about my photography, how I see things, how I interpret my photos and how it compares to their interpretation.
I also had quite a revelation the day before while setting up everything. While I document what’s happening around me in the city, in a way I document myself too. For each and everyone of the 31 photos that were showcased I could tell when it was taken, what was the challenge, how I found the spot, and even more importantly, what was happening with myself, my mood, my life, at this very moment. Even for shots taken years ago. It is something I’ve never thought about before, but for sure it just really motivates me to continue photographing the life around me further more!
I’d like to thank Xavier Leroux, director of the French Institute of Cluj-Napoca for his warm welcome and for hosting the exhibition, Raluca Mateiu and her team for the great organization, and Robert Fejer for the photos of the evening. And, of course, all the people that came and made this opening the greatest one I could have hoped for!
Did you go to the exhibition? Did you like it? Tell me more in the comments below!
And here we go! I’m so happy to announce my very first solo exhibition, Histoires urbaines (Urban stories)!
While I’ve already participated in a few group exhibitions, even in some very prestigious ones, it’s always something else to have your own exhibition. It will showcase 30 of my best street photos. Some can already be seen on this website in my Streets portfolio, but also a few new ones that were kept for the event.
I really like the fact that this exhibition is happening in Cluj-Napoca. This is where is has all started, where I first took my camera and started wandering the streets. It seems right to me that my first solo event starts there… and hopefully it’ll continue somewhere else!
The exhibition will take place at the French Institute (Institut Français) at la Cave, their own art dedicated space… in a cave! So if you come by Cluj between June 28th and July 20th, don’t miss the cultural event of the year 😉
And I’ll be there for the opening on the 28th. See you there, I hope!
Every year in Sully sur Loire (Loiret, France) take place the Heures Historiques (historical hours, more info there). This is a large festival happening during a whole week-end dedicating to reenactment. It covers a very wide range of historical periods, from the very beginnings until the 1960’s. Because of France’s history, the medieval and World War II periods are definitely the most represented.
There were more than 1000 reenactors, some just wandering, others recreating a piece of the period they “come from” with accessories from a few tiny props to a complete medieval camp up to a WWII war zone. Quite impressive, honestly! Dance shows, knight fights or weaponry tries are organized here and there. The festival is spot on with the the Sully sur Loire castle as background and the Loire just next to it.
I went there with a few photographer friends. In order to do not come back with the same photos as everyone, I decided to go another way, a cinematic way. There is the word “actor” in “reenactors”, so let’s give them what they deserve!
Here are a few of the shots I’ve taken:
The Heures Historiques will happen again in May 2019… see you there maybe?
And by the way, if you recognize yourself here, contact me and I’ll give you the photo in a larger format!
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