“This ongoing photographic project, started in 2022, aims to examine the intricate relationship between perceived reality and visual intuition. The selected works explore how photographed reality, whether altered or left untouched, can be reimagined or reshaped through intuitive perception, creating an ongoing dialogue between sight and emotion.
Self-portrait photography plays a central role in this project, serving as both subject and artistic investigative tool. In this context, the self-portrait is not merely a visual representation but a medium for ongoing confrontation between reality and its projections, between what is shaped by memory, emotion, or the subconscious.
This dynamic emphasizes the fluid relationship between inner identity and the visible exterior, questioning the boundaries between who we are and how we perceive ourselves. Through self-portraiture, I explore not only physical appearance but also psychological states, contradictions, and vulnerabilities that define me.
This artistic endeavor becomes a form of introspection and inquiry into one’s own existence. It is more than just a reflection of reality—it represents a space for experimentation, where identity can be shaped, transformed, or even deconstructed. In this sense, it functions as a portal between the internal and external, between what is seen and what is experienced, offering a profound reflection on how we relate to our own presence in reality. Thus, this photographic approach, central to my creative process, emphasizes the tension between the concrete and the subjective, inviting the viewer to reconsider their perception of reality. Through this exploration, photography serves as both evidence and a means of reflection on how perception shapes and redefines the world around us”.
(Șarpe Olga)
About the author
SARPE OLGA – “My photographic work explores a dialogue between the inner universe—experimental self-portraiture as a means of self-investigation—and the external visual world, through the photographic fusion of recurring themes: everyday life, the human figure, and nature. My visual practice focuses on capturing timeless frames, inspired by symbolism and expressed through mystical thought, evoking states of meditation, transformation, introspection, and rediscovery, aiming to connect the viewer with their own inner sensitivity.
I work with traditional techniques, alternating between 35mm and 120mm black-and-white film, which I personally develop and scan. Some of the photographs are also materialized in physical form, printed on fine photographic paper. Graduate of the University of Art and Design in Cluj-Napoca, with a Bachelor’s degree (2021) and a Master’s degree (2023) in Photo-Video. I have showcased my work both solo and group exhibitions nationally. “
IG: www.instagram.com/olgasarpe/
