Vivid Artbeat June 2004

ARTBEAT
Most definitely not digital

by Andreea Sarcani
June 2004

Talk of photography these days can be rather paradoxical. On the one hand, the digital era gives many people the impression that they know how to take pictures professionally, or at least correctly. Photography is popular because it is becoming accessible to all. On the other hand, our visual universe is invaded on a daily basis by hundreds of images in magazines, posters, leaflets and via email. Exposure of the eye to this realm of static images is limitless, impossible to measure and beyond our control, simply because we happen to find ourselves in the street. As a result, the eye can become immune to this medium.

that exhibiting art photography is an extravagance. It really is art for art's sake.

ìWhen you choose your profession,î she says, ìand you really want to do art photography, obviously you are going to have to work at the same time in advertising, fashion or the media, to be able to financially support artistic projects. It's still pretty hard to find buyers for art photography in Romania.î

Her works have been displayed in a number of exhibitions, in Sofia, Paris, Helsinki and Zagreb.

The project that Alexandra is exhibiting at the H'Art Gallery shows young people wearing balaclavas in blue, yellow and red, the colours of the Romanian national flag. The photos were taken in the centres of Vienna, Paris and Budapest, using the photographic language of tourism.

ìThe idea I began with was connected to that of Romania's eventual membership of the European Union, and I thought it interesting to disturb stereotypical thinking through this really aggressive representation of national identity itself. The idea that art must always reflect the moment of history in which you are situated fully justifies the choice of a subject like this with a social subtext,î argues Alexandra. ìCertainly there is globalisation in art, but obviously by living in this region we are confronted with problems different to those being experienced in South Africa, for example. It's natural for you to connect with what's happening around you, in order to live in the present moment.î

It's currently difficult to draw a line between documentary, advertising and art photography. They all use similar media and the same language. The difference is just a matter of the quality of the message. Due to the increasing diversity in the field, probably much more is to be awaited from art photography.

One way in which modern art approaches reality is to take things from their context. Anything can become art if a suitable space is created and if a message is transmitted. ìAs far as I'm concerned, it is the viewer who each time determines a work of art. My works invite an analysis of commonplace gestures, a kind of philosophy of the everday,î says Alexandra.

Art in Romania is at present just a form of interior decoration and an investment, and the criteria used are exclusively aesthetic, as the art market is still taking shape. You can count the number of collectors on one hand.

Alexandra loves to travel, though she's never considered living in another country, even temporarily. She finds that Romania is too stimulating a location in this extremely interesting transition period, especially from an artist's perspective. ìIt'll probably be boring when you have to put your rubbish in seven different containers. For many this turbulent time is a paradise. All those who move to other countries do it for financial reasons. Romanians don't really mind that there are potholes and the streets aren't clean. This has become a kind of decadent charm of a place where people hurry slowly in assimilating a European mentality and attitude.î