Denise Lobonț
Denise Lobonț graduated the National University of Arts in Bucharest with a Bachelor’s degree (2017) and an MFA (2020) in Photography. Her practice is motivated by a documentary approach towards restricted social groups uncovering stereotypes and providing counter-narratives where established social constructs are being questioned and exposed. Furthermore, the format of the documentary is used as a tool to reveal the unexpected beauty behind the sacred triviality of the everyday. This year she completed a residency at the Urban Nation Museum for Contemporary Art in Berlin and at Xarkis Festival in Agros, Cyprus where she explored the interdependence between man and nature. Amongst others, her works have been exhibited at Torino Esposizioni, the Exhibition Room of the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, and at Galeria Posibilă, Bucharest.
Find Denise Lobonț here:
https://deniselobont.com/
https://www.instagram.com/denise.lobont/
Flower Sellers
The series documents an important spot essential for the cultural heritage in Bucharest: Coșbuc Flower Market on Calea Rahovei Street. I am focusing especially on flower sellers men as their manly look contrasts with the sensitive craft of floristry. The project started as a conceptual inquiry of masculinity from a feminine perspective without knowing where I’ll put my idea in practice; the fact that all the flower sellers in this series of photographs are of Roma ethnicity should also not be overlooked.
First encounter with the flower sellers men in the market was marked by catcalling comments, a thing which is not Roma specific. Instead of passing by quickly ignoring and validating this overly masculine behavior, I used my camera as a dialogue mechanism, I wanted to take a portrait trough my feminine perspective. On one hand reclaiming my power regarding gender differences, on the other questioning this fear that must be coming from a substrate of racism and thus is an excuse for inequalities between the Roma minority and Romanian majority of people.
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There were centuries of rights deprivation for this minority, a topic that is too little discussed or acknowledged but covered up by inverted guilt through fear-spreading media. I believe fear generates more fear thus a vicious circle is created. What if all that manly bravado comes from a layer of insecurity? In the norms imposed by society, power is always praised. What if the jokes and boisterous behavior of Roma men I encountered is a way of reclaiming public space and make their voices heard?
Furthermore, recently this landmark place owned by Roma people in Bucharest has been evacuated by the police taking advantage of the pandemic, while people were not paying attention to this issue. I associate this banning of the market’s authenticity with the social pressure of conforming to stereotypes and not being oneself. This documentary highlights the complexity of humankind and questions responsibility.
