( . . . ) The second show, Hierarchy of the Romanian Orthodox Church, was opened in 2012 at Salonul de Proiecte, within a group show, Behind the Scene, curated by Magda Radu. Placed in a collective context, the series of photographs was determined to work in a group, namely to answer the general theme of the exhibition – that of decoding the social subliminal and making the invisible visible (Groys), in a society absurdly spectacular (Debord) –, but also to carry its own artistic discourse within that group. A long white wall thus hosted the horizontal display of such hierarchy otherwise deeply vertical: deaconess (“the woman in service of the church”), grave-digger, chorus, gospeller, deacon, chrism priest, parish priest, protopresbyter, bishop, archbishop and metropolitan and, at the top, the patriarch. Although removed from the official clergy since the 19^th century, the lower clergy (deaconess, grave-digger, chorus, gospeller) is present within the hierarchy as it bears a strong presence in the collective imaginary, especially in the rural one where, for example, the grave-digger is a key character in the community, as it looks after the village grave yard and, in funerals, when the community emotions climax, there is always need of a practical and realistic person to manage the moments of the passage rite. The images thus aimed at bringing together the parishioner and the functional members of one of the strongest organisations in the Romanian State. Its message: these are the people you associate with and that legitimate your status in the community through baptism, marriage, and funeral. ( . . . ) ”

–  excerpts from Igor Mocanu’s “Law Enforcement and Spiritual Force” text, 2012