Theatrum Mundi

The pics were taken in Bucharest between 2015 and 2017. I was attracted by the idea of snapshots of elderly people sitting on benches in an old park, as if they were characters in a play. I feel an inner “vibe” in these people, which turns them into “characters” with a poignant story transcending the daily strut and fret. I’m attracted to “characters” that simultaneously exhale sadness and humor, tragic and comic, like in ancient Greek theater, hence the title of the series. The mindset of the society in which they were shaped - a communist, dystopic one - left its mark on these people, who put up a certain resistance when it came to adapting to the new society. They are the last remaining witnesses of a bygone world, which maybe explains the “surreal” nature of some scenes.