From the archive

Liviu and Ancuta, Breb, Maramures, Romania, 4 September 2006.

I will be heading up to Maramures in August to continue my long-term project on the transformation of rural life in the most traditional area of Europe. I wonder what I will find this time around. . .

Spread in Reader’s Digest Romania

Publication in Turkish Magazine Fotoritim

The Turkish magazine Fotoritim has done a nice spread of my Maramures project this month.

Representation by Karousel Gallery in Bucharest

I now have collector’s prints shot in Maramures available at Karousel Gallery, Romania’s only gallery exclusively devoted to photography.

Maramures: Europe’s Most Traditional Rural Life in Transition

My new collaborative project with Aga Luczakowska!

The Maramures region of northern Romania is home to the most traditional rural life in Europe. In the idyllic valleys along the Ukraine border, cone shaped haystacks made with wooden pitchforks dot rolling hills and houses are without running water. Nowhere else in Europe do folk costumes persist so strongly with elaborate traditions and Romanian Orthodox ceremonies dominating village life.

For decades, Romania’s closed border policy under the dictatorship of Nicolae Ceausescu as well as a natural fortress of mountains kept Maramures isolated from the rest of Europe. Even after the fall of Communism, change was slow to enter the region.

But Romania joined the European Union in 2007 and Maramures is at last changing. Youth from the villages now spend most of their time working in Western Europe and send back thousands of euros to their families. Modern cement villas with satellite television stand where wooden peasant homes did just last year and strict EU agricultural regulations are threatening the beautiful way of life.

We are working as a team to document life in the villages at this moment when the pace of change is rapidly increasing. Our intent is to return in each of the seasons over the coming year to photograph village youth upon their return from working abroad. We will photograph all that surprises us. Modernity is mixing with 18th century village life in unusual ways.

A second part of our project will be to collect historical photographs of traditional peasant life and rescue them from almost certain obscurity. We will digitize the collages of family photographs that are often framed over religious icons and displayed on the walls of homes. These found images will be combined with our reportage work of contemporary village life to form a comprehensive visual document of Europe’s peasantry at a critical point in its history. The project will be equally of an historical, ethnographic and documentary importance.

An interview. . .

Romanian Newspaper Gandul’s spread on me

I previously linked to the online version of the interview that the Romanian newspaper ‘Gandul’ did with me back in September, but above is what it looked like in print.

Romanian Newspaper ‘Gandul’ profiles me

You can read the story and see a few pictures here. Anyone who is in Bucuresti please pick up a printed copy Friday morning.

Photoshelter showcases an image of mine on their homepage

Check out the slideshow under ‘Images’ here.

Wonderful Machine blog mention

My US rep highlighted my work last week.

Breaking News! Davin wins at The Phodar Biennial 2009

I’ve just been informed that I have won a cash award at The Phodar Biennial in Bulgaria for a portfolio of my Maramures work! My work is on view in Pleven, Bulgaria through early June.

Anzenberger 20th Anniversary Limited Edition

I am happy to announce that I have a print from my Maramures project in this Anniversary-Limited Edition box set which includes the signed volumes East and West accompanied by 12 fine art prints from the content on Hahnemuehle Photo Rag paper and is available in an edition of 100.

Description: black linen box. Print size: 60 x 40 cm. White gloves. List of fine art prints. Envelope with stickers including captions and signatures for the framed photographs.
Both books east and west are signed by most of the photographers as well as by the author of the text essay and by Regina Maria Anzenberger.

Photos from east by Davin Ellicson, Sinan Cakmak, Andrei Liankevich, Christine de Grancy, Janis Pipars, Andrej Balco.
Photos from west by Reiner Riedler, Yadid Levy, Horst A. Friedrichs, Lauren Hermele, Phiipp Horak, Toni Anzenberger.

It can be purchased here.

Vision Magazine Spread

This Chinese cultural magazine has printed a nice portfolio of my Maramures project across 8 pages this month. Tear sheets soon to follow here.

Me in Maramures last month

Here I am last month wearing the tiny ‘clop’ hat specific to the Maramures region.

And here I am with a friend in the village store (I only had one beer by the way).

In New York for a week

I am in the US in order to take care of a number of things including the processing and scanning of the panoramics I’ve been shooting the last few weeks in northern Romania. After this brief hiatus I will return directly to Maramures to photograph the spring plowing and Orthodox Easter. Above is a picture from my row on the Air France Bucharest to Paris flight the other day.