VICTORIA ROTARU
PERPETUAL DECOMPOSER
Through this new reality, my practice has shifted into a focus on tactile representations of intimacy and connection between humanity and nature. A connection that borders upon sensibility and the sublime, especially in a world continuously rocked in chaos brought on by the natural order. This preoccupation has morphed from highly detailed photography of the surfaces of my own body and textures of other distinct surfaces into a series of microscopical photography of skins – as seen through plants. The skins of these plants act as a connection between humanity and nature, highlighting in rapid process the journey of life and has led to my most recent fascination with mold, showcasing and highlighting these textures, intimacies, and connections in a state of decay. A point of life in which touch ceases completely, but when new life is born again and the cycle of touch, intimacy begins anew.
On a personal level, the pandemic has made me world-weary and drawn to see things that are less pictorial, more elemental, and closer to body and soul-literally and figuratively. What is closer to home than nature and one’s own body?
MOLDBERRIES
series of 6 photographs
Fascinated by mold, I created a few series with representations of it that is “killing” differently each kind of life but remains irresistibly beautiful. Berries look even better with this magic on them, that’s why the meaning of “beauty” changed for me when I discovered how impressive can be the things that are usually considered ugly.
CONSTANT
series of photographs
Being preoccupied with the mould research, I tried to go deeper and deeper with the shapes and colours of it. That’s why I experimented with growing it on different surfaces. Also, I tested new ways of lightning the subject in the photos.
INTO THE BLACK
series of 19 photographs
Inspired by natural patterns and shapes, this series is rather a artistic documentation of physical processes in nature. The black colour of the background is used for a better contrast between life and death, as black is considered a funeral colour.
PERPETUAL
series of 6 digital collages
The endless interest about this form of life/death made me think about different approaches of the same subject, so I tried a new media for me. The result of this little experiment grew up in a series of highly detailed digital collages.
REBORN
series of photographs
My recent obsession with mould brought me to more profound research about the relation between life and death. Mould is deathless, this small organism can live even in the space and at the same time it is so powerful as it can easily take others’ lives. Mould is the relation between life and death because it is born by killing others and it is deathless.
MONOCHROME VITALITY
series of 8 photographs
By exploring macro photography, I discovered a totally new world around me. Textures and natural shapes are the main subject in this series. I used Back & White photography because in this way nature looks more mysterious and abstract, but at the same time is more meaningful.
AMBIGUITY
series of 13 photographs
A depiction of loneliness and intimacy. These 13 photographs came as a reaction to the lockdown, a period which brought me closer to myself. It’s a visual description of my feelings.
