Cristina Irian – Efemeride

“About four years ago, while exercising on how to pay more attention to the environment for capturing unusual elements of the world around, I started taking pictures of strange, sometimes multilayered surfaces and reflections.  When further developing the overall idea behind the series – it became clear I wanted to compose frames representing the possible and ephemeral worlds in which insignificant matter comes to existence, breathing through ordinary surfaces encountered in mundane places.

In the “Wandering on the way”, Chuang Tzu “dreamt he was a butterfly, a butterfly flitting and fluttering around, happy with himself and doing as he pleased. He didn’t know he was Chuang Tzu. Suddenly he woke up and there he was, solid and unmistakable Chuang Tzu. But he didn’t know if he was Chuang Tzu who had dreamt he was a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming he was Chuang Tzu. Between Chuang Tzu and a butterfly there must be some distinction! This is called the Transformation of Things.” – Cristina Irian

At first glance what you see are not in-camera photos but anything from photo-manipulation to digital-art and editing filters. At second glance you start thinking how were these photos taken and what you can identify in them. Don’t worry if you have done exactly that.

The secret and beauty of these photos reveals itself to you in the moment you stop doing all the previous mentioned actions. In that moment you are taken in a sort of similar but parallel reality with familiar and twisted elements, torn scenery and surreal colorful characters. This series feels almost like looking through a small colored magical mirror into a fantasy world that remains undisturbed in its joyful and crazy existence.

A chic tea-party without the hats or the rabbits but with all the magic and glitter.

Cristina has several lives. Her life as a photographer unexpectedly started about seven years ago while conducting sociological research in rural areas across Romania. Then she attended several courses in photography until graduating from Scoala de Poetica Fotografica “Francisc Mraz” in Bucharest. So far she has taken part in more than 20 exhibitions both in Romania and abroad. Her most recent exhibition with Andreea Ciolacu is called “ALT.UNDEVA.AICI” and was seen in  Sibiu, Craiova and at The National Library of Romania in Bucharest.

You can contact her at http://www.facebook.com/cristina.irian where soon you will find out her new website.

Cristian Bassa