In Search of the Shadow

In Search of the Shadow | Bogdan Gîrbovan

In collaboration with: Vlaicu Golcea
Curated by: Alexandra Mihali

Opening: Saturday, November 22, 2025, 6:00 PM
Address: Salon de Papier, Strada Constantin Cristescu 12, Bucharest

“In Search of the Shadow” explores an increasingly visible reality: the desertification of southern Romania and the decrease of underground water levels. The exhibition offers a deeply human perspective on the relationship between water, memory, and community.

Bogdan Gîrbovan’s photographs capture the interiors of dried-up wells in Mehedinți and Dolj – places that have surpassed their utilitarian value and have become symbols of the community: gathering points, social spaces, and collective memory. Through playful reflections of light, the wells transform into mirrors of our fragility in the face of the climate crisis.

The sound composition created by Vlaicu Golcea, based on digitally processed field recordings, adds an immersive dimension to the exhibition. Image and sound merge into a poetic and reflective space – a visual and auditory “mirage” about absence, thirst, and hope.

Bogdan Gîrbovan (b. 1981, Drobeta-Turnu Severin) lives and works in Bucharest. His works have been exhibited internationally and published in magazines such as Punctum, NYArts Magazine, IDEA, and Post Photography.

Vlaicu Golcea is an audiovisual artist and performer with experience in theatre music, documentary film, multimedia installations, performance, and generative AI video production. In 2021, he founded the Interfonic Postnational Theater, a platform for contemporary and interdisciplinary dramaturgical creation.

Documentary: Valeriu Cătălineanu, Michele Bressan