Capturing the Soul of a Space: ‘The Bookstore Project’ by Florin Ion Firimiţã ‣ CVLTARTES

Florin Ion Firimita is a visual artist and writer who traces his interest in art back to his mother’s passion for drawing and his father’s modest amateur photo lab in Bucharest, Romania. That’s where he was entrusted with mixing chemicals, developing film, and printing black-and-white photos at the age of six. Versatile in various mediums, from painting to mixed media and from writing to photography, the artist has continued to explore a wide range of creative expressions.

After immigrating to the United States, he continued his education, and today the artist lectures, paints, exhibits, and writes art criticism, essays, and short stories.

“The Bookstore Project” started with a visit to a bookstore and a dream. My friend G.J. Askins has built a labyrinth-like space in an old mill in Northern Massachusetts. Tens of thousands of books occupy every corner of a large, well-lit room. They rest on old wooden floors, tables, sofas, and desks. During the day, the room looks like an ancient city in ruins. At night, it resembles a strange forest or a set for a yet-to-be-written opera. In 2012, during my customary visits to the bookstore, I noticed a book of black and white nude photographs and a pair of wooden Santos hands resting on one of the tables. I placed my hands on the open book. The setting fits into my constant exploration of the juxtaposition of the real and the artificial,” the artist says in a statement.

I called my friend, the bookstore owner, and asked him if I could do a photo shoot in his place. It would only take a few hours, I remember promising. It took me three years and close to 30,000 photographs to bring my dream to fruition.