June 28th, 2013 Posted by Marion
Express yourself
The scooter rushes and we penetrate the vortex of cars, buses, and bikes in Place de République; she’s riding it, whilst shouting:”hold on tight, and don’t you worry!”…Worrying?!, by that stage, it would have been a fool’s call to worry, I thought trying to avoid the little fly that inevitably crashed in my eye at the speed of light..
We were roaming by scooter for hours, I was experiencing light vertigos, and the temptation of a migraine, but my heart and eyes were full of the impressions of that (e)motion offered by Oana…discovering the other Paris, the Paris that she loved in a sunny morning of May…cars horning, pedestrians staring, buses roving..the smoke ..the sun…and all that jazz of Paris coming to life…nothing could stop us!!
From Montreuil to les Clopes, in Marais, she layered a symphony of colors, images, odors, and sounds, pointing out here and there, telling me stories about how it was in the 40s 50s 60s 80s 90s… how it was two days ago; who lived there, who didn’t; which revolutions happened, and which should have happened; which architect built that, and what has been destroyed; how the Africans grilled their sheep, the muezzins called to prayer, Lesbian DJs performed in the greatest places, that little bookshop at the corner had some goodies to die for; and how damepipi posted on line the buzz and the fuzz…that’s a good dose of Oana Lohan, zooming around the city…it was Paris. But it could have been any other..Her enthusiasm is endless when (re)discovering the urban maze..
That’s Oana …a wanderer, high on insulin, adrenalin, life and love …sensitive to the messages that the universe is sending, to the zillion of little things that might pass unnoticed to many, but enclose in them stories of (parallel) universes..
Oana Talking Statements : As an artist, I am mainly interested in ‘poor’ techniques and urban issues. Which means that between a digital camera and a pinhole camera made of cardboard, I shall certainly choose the second one, and between a fancy Wacom palette and a pencil, the pencil will be the winner. This is not about analog vs. digital; this is about rendering the experience of seeing in the simplest, rawest and most direct way.
My interest in the city lies in my passion for storytelling, walking, and architecture. Each city has its own myths and paths and mysteriously built outfits. Roaming the streets is actually synonymous with being conquered by wanderlust. Also, the city of London is perfect for a wanderer. It is huge and lots of railways run right across it, it is full of parks and strong colors; it is incredibly contemporary and old fashioned at the same time.