Rebecca Fertinel was born in 1991 in Romania but she grew up in Belgium.
She has always been interested in art and she has found a way of expressing herself throughout the medium of photography. Her works include a wide range of subjects and show a great interest in personal views and connection with other people. Being triggered by life itself and especially the humans’ sensory capabilities, she tries to capture the ways in which people act, perceive, think and feel.
About ‘Ubuntu‘:
In August 2015 Rebecca Fertinel was invited to a wedding by her friend Tracy. Here, Fertinel was introduced to the warm, unabashed life-approach of the Congolese community in Belgium and the Bantu concept ‘Ubuntu’: you really only become human when you are connected to everything and everyone.
In Fertinel’s photographic documentary, the concept of Ubuntu seems to intertwine with the desire to belong to a group and maintain a group identity in a changing environment. Focused on the joy and the ritual and not on a need for a perfect venue. This project wants to place the viewer inside an environment that most have experienced at one time or another for a wedding, party or a wake. A place where the emotions are what is important and the flaws of the room overlooked.
Everyone in a similar situation has experienced the desire to connect with certain traditions on the one hand, while simultaneously feeling different and no longer seamlessly connected with the old culture on the other hand. ‘Ni congolais, ni belge.’ Within the group, the individual feels strong, but outside the group he or she will feel lonely and deviant. We need each other.
Everyone is looking for a place in life. That is the beauty of Ubuntu.
