Virginia Lupu

Virginia Lupu is a photographer based in Bucharest/Romania. She seeks to present her subjects as they exist and coexist in society without altering their appearance to fit social norms, expectations, or stereotypes. This approach is evident in her projects with Roma witches, Tintintin and Failproof Witch. Starting from the deep roots of magical practices in the collective mentality, these works aim to demystify and challenge the vulgarized perception of alternative spiritual practices traditionally present in Romania.
The occult and magical practices have yet to find significant representation in Romanian visual culture. As such, Lupu’s project opens the door to exploring and appreciating Roma superstitions, magical practices, and witchcraft, while providing an unfiltered understanding of these essential elements of a matriarchal culture within a patriarchal society.

In her role as a Political Dominatrix, Lupu practices BDSM in a way that subverts the values of capitalism, viewing »femdom« (female domination) and »findom« (financial domination) as forms of political resistance to patriarchal exploitation. For her, it is an opportunity to reinvent gender power dynamics with social justice in mind.