2011–2012

Intime

"INTIME" explores the possibility of personal privacy within the confined environment of detention, where individuals are forced to share limited living space with others. While the deprivation of freedom of movement dominates public discourse on the consequences of imprisonment, far less attention is given to another fundamental human need: the ability to withdraw from others and experience moments of physical and psychological solitude. Within detention facilities, this possibility is severely restricted. In this project, Ghercă uses the bed not merely as a physical object but as a symbolic representation of the prisoner's intimate space. The approximately two square meters surrounding it constitute the only personal territory an individual can claim within the shared environment of a detention cell. Through conversations with prisoners, the artist discovered that the moments following lights-out, when the detention room falls into darkness, offer one of the few opportunities for genuine intimacy. It is during these moments that individuals can temporarily withdraw from their surroundings and remain alone with their thoughts. Building on this observation, Ghercă invited eight women to write down the thoughts they experienced during these private moments, when each was left alone with her own body and mind. Their written reflections became an integral part of the project, offering an intimate perspective on the psychological experience of confinement and the human need for privacy, even in circumstances where it is almost entirely denied. 8 color portraits on 6x4.5cm medium format negative and 8 handwritten letters