Photos from www.lumpan.ro
The Romanian Cultural Institute presents Bears and Other Masks - a special exhibition by celebrated photographer Dragos Lumpan, which explores Romanian Christmas and New Year's Eve traditions.
The exhibition includes photographs and a film about ancient rituals and mythic characters such as the Bear and the Goat, reminiscing demonic gods originated in Romanian folklore. The works are the result of Lumpan's 5 years long research in Vintileasca, a small village from Romania. They focus on the symbolic value of the mask, examining at the same time how these traditions adapted to the contemporary urban lifestyle.
The exhibition aims to present the authentic New Year's Eve traditions, free from any commercial purpose. We are used to seeing the New Year's Eve customs as a melting pot with Christmas traditions; media has intensely promoted this superficial and false point of view. Bears and Other Masks tells an ancient story, in a way in which it has not been said before: genuine and easy to understand. Dragos Lumpan
Dragos Lumpan is one of the most prolific contemporary Romanian photographers, with numerous national and international exhibitions. He has published the album Faces from Monastic Life, has worked for the ad campaign Sibiu - European Cultural Capital and for the National Geographic Magazine, Romania.
When: 10 December 2009 - 15 January 2010, Mon - Fri 10am - 5 pm;
Closed 24 December - 3 January 2010;
Where: Romanian Cultural Institute, London
Admission: free.