21 Oct | 19:00 – ARCUB – Gabroveni Inn, Big Hall (Grand Exhibition Opening)
22 – 30 Oct | ARCUB – Gabroveni Inn, Big Hal
My interest in photography came late in my life. Romania was the country that first inspired me to take the camera, and for this I will be forever grateful! After my first book for Romania was published, I began traveling to remote places and photographing people that were distant from the modern western way of life, following another, different, course. Being forever amazed at the spirit and hospitality of those who have so little, I tried to document a dignified approach to life and capture the images of fragile cultures and marginalized peoples. With photography we cannot change the world, but we can change minds, touch hearts and give a voice to those in silence.
Ι shoot what moves me; I shoot from my heart to tell the visual stories I love and care about, discovering what means seeing, rather than merely looking. I attempt to capture the humble breath hidden below wretchedness: the human dignity and optimism. The qualities of these disadvantaged people are so strong, that conditions of life are a secondary matter. The pictures in this exhibition show smiles and happiness where they are less expected, proving that happiness and suffering do not depend on being rich or poor, but rather having the right or wrong understanding in our mind. It doesn’t reside in possessions, but it dwells in the soul.
I have always seen photography as a gift. I think, you don’t take photographs, you are given them. Without that gift, without the permission of entering a persons’ world, you would never get those photographs. With this exhibition, I want to share these smiles with the Romanian public and bring a smile on everybody’s face. (Dimitra Stasinopoulou)