Anca Mitroi is a Romanian conceptual photographer whose unique style combines elements of dark urbex, the macabre, and boudoir photography.
Her works combine the vastness of old, historical buildings with the intimacy and tenderness of the beautifully grotesque. History, nature, and human skin are depicted in grim and muted tones, with a focus on gritty shadows and pearlescent gloom.
The same accent is presented in this series as well, where Mitroi sends us back into the past through the way she captures her friend against the backdrop of her old, outdated, interwar flat. Here, time seems to have stood still. Through the use of warm colors, the place seems to absorb the subject into its decor. The sensual portraits progressively turn into a showcase that makes the model one with the furniture, or rather, an alluring ghost haunting the building.
Mitroi’s distinct, rich, and borderline kitsch style shines through this series. Warm playfulness and a sense of trust between the photographer and the model are palpable. It allows the viewer to deepen the immersion and the connection with the images.
The artist is a spontaneous but intentional storyteller. “Here we are in my best friend’s beautiful interbelic apartment in 2025. The sun has set. Her room carries the feeling of red wine and dark ambient jazz playing softly in the background. I ask her to put on her lace burgundy robe and simply play around naturally within the space,” she describes.
The result of this inspiration was a visual representation of the touch of velvet and the warmth of leisurely breath. The cinematic shadowplay and gentle, rusty sepia draw inspiration from classic boudoir photography, infusing the frames with feminine sensuality and just the right amount of piquancy.
Read our “Roots” issue in full
The new theme, born as usual from what the submitted works held in common, is “ROOTS.” Within its pages, we present the artworks, creativity, and inspiration of 60 visual artists and writers from 21 countries around the world. Their diverse voices come together around a shared exploration of the return to where one belongs, the invisible threads of tradition that shape identity, and the ongoing reconnection with nature, others, and oneself.
We’re a team of writers using our craft to spotlight art in its most honest form. RAWGUE. started as a bi-monthly editorial experiment where each issue’s theme is dictated by the submitted work, thus removing editorial bias from the equation and preserving a more raw approach. We focus on all forms of poetry: written, photographed, painted, drawn, and filmed.
