The International Photography Festival will take place between April 23rd, 2016 - May 7th, 2016 in Jaffa Port and Old City.
With the support of the Romanian Cultural Institute in Tel Aviv, Romania will be represented in the international program by the photography exhibition "Roma always" by Mugur Vărzariu, which will be open to the public in Warehouse 1 of the Jaffa Port.
During the festival program of events, the Romanian photographer will participate on April 26th, at 17:00 at a gallery talk, and on April 27th, at 21:00 at the Photographers Marathon. The events, in English, will take place at Warehouse 1 in Jaffa Port (near the Na Laga'at Center). The entrance to the exhibition and festival events is ticket-based.
Visiting hours for the exhibition "Roma always":
April 23-30, 2016, between 10:00-22:00, excepting Fridays and holiday eve when the visiting hours are 10:00-15:00
May 1-3, 2016, between 17:00-22:00
May 6th, 2016, between 10:00-15:00
May 7th, 2016, between 10:00-22:00
More details and tickets: *8780 or online http://www.leaan.co.il/, www.photographyfestival.co.il
With a very successful career in strategic marketing and brand management, working for some of the most important companies in Romania, in 2010, Mugur Vărzariu decided it was time for a change in order to find more than just professional accomplishments. He chose photography and due to his ambition and dedication in less than a year his work has been internationally recognized and he became a stringer for some of the most important press agencies (Associated Press, Mediafax and Getty Images).
Photography became a new means of expressing his social artistry. Therefore in his projects he approached some of the intriguing aspects of living in today's Romania, in an attempt to raise awareness and increase social responsibility among institutions and individuals. He believes that we are way beyond the point where a true documentary photographer simply just shows us the reality as they see it. While being objective, he believes that photographers should continue their work and attempt to help way pass their assignments. And that is because they have or should have a better understanding of the situation than anybody else.
He is especially attached to the Roma people's cause and he hopes that one day, his work, from images to public speeches and presentations will help end the plight of the Roma people. UNHCR, UNICEF (Romania and Switzerland), Open Society and Amnesty International already used and commissioned his work on Roma people.
His images have been published by Le Monde, The Economist, The New York Times, Welt, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mois, Beobachter, Marianne. He exhibited for UNHCR, marking the WRD and the 60th Anniversary of UNHCR and his work on the uprising events in Syria was screened at Visa Pour l'Image 2011. His photo-essay on the plight of Roma people in Romania was screened at Visa Pour l'Image in 2012. 'Roma, always' photo essay has been screened at Visa Pour l'Image in 2014.
"We claim we want to help when all we do is to run from one story to another...I say, let's be redundant for a while and stay on the stories next to us until we really start seeing improvements. There are many stories that need our long term commitment. I choose to tell the story of the Roma people for it's a story more relevant today in Europe than it ever was. Respecting the rights of the Roma people is something each of us can help others do. It's not easy and it involves Romanians and Europeans alike". - Mugur Varzariu (www.mugurvarzariu.com)
The International Photography Festival (www.photographyfestival.co.il) will take place at the Jaffa Port and Old City, reuniting in its program over 200 Israeli and international photographers in 30 solo and group exhibitions. The festival aims to create a platform for intercultural exchanges in the field of photography, while promoting, in the same time, social awareness and change. This year's edition focuses on the theme of Protective Space and will encompass, together with Mugur Varzariu's works, exhibitions by artists from Israel, Poland (Wojtek Wilczyk), France (Mathieu Pernot), Italy (Federica Valabrega), USA (Doug Rickard) and the Czech Republic (Antonin Kratochvil).
