Odeta Catana – Mother Romania

“Mother ROMANIA” depicts the state of the nation in relation with migration phenomenon nowadays, portraying three generations of women. I have chosen as a reference the community of my hometown, Calarasi, situated in Southern Romania, which is affected at different levels by the migration in the European countries, just like the whole country.

From ’89 onward the migration flow of Romanians in the Western Europe was very high, as many of them left the country, in search of a better standard of living and more financial stability. This has created several social consequences for the halves of families left at home but also for those trying to integrate in the hosting societies. The project features three generations: the elderly and the High School girls, who are at home, in Romania, and the adult generation who has left the country reaching for a better life. The past represented by elderly women and the future by the teenagers are either too old or too young to leave abroad, while the present – the middle age active generation has left Romania for the UK, Belgium, Spain and Ireland (the countries I picked as hosting communities of my subjects). The mother-child bound, which is one of the most profound relationships, can be interpreted further as the bound with the country itself, with Romania.

Odeta Catana

More images on www.odetacatana.com or as a book on www.blurb.co.uk. Odeta Catana was born in 1982 and educated in Romania. Currently she is studying Documentary Photography at University of Wales, Newport, UK. She has previously studied History and Theory of Arts for her BA and Cultural Anthropology for her MA. Odeta Catana’s first feature on Oitzarisme was with Bed Desks.