"Os Encantados" by Romane Iskaria

"Os Encantados, which means “The Enchanted Ones,” is a photographic and documentary project by Romane Iskaria dedicated to the *quilombola* communities of Northeastern Brazil and their ancestral connection to the Land of Jurema: a sacred space at the boundary between the visible and the invisible.

Quilombos are territories of resistance that originated during the colonial era, founded by escaped African slaves, Indigenous peoples, and at times marginalized Europeans. They represent forms of cultural, political, and spiritual autonomy born from the violence of colonialism, while also symbolizing a living resistance to domination. Even today, these communities continue to fight for the recognition of their territorial and cultural rights, in a context still marked by the legacy of slavery and colonial exploitation.

At the heart of this culture is the Jurema Sagrada, a spiritual tradition emerging from the fusion of Indigenous and African belief systems. The jurema (Mimosa Hostilis Benth), a sacred plant, holds a central place in the region’s spiritual practices. Known for its psychotherapeutic and ritual properties, it symbolizes cultural resistance and the interweaving of Indigenous and African spiritualities, an outcome of the intercultural encounters brought about by colonialism. The plant is also associated with the Encantados, supernatural entities from Indigenous beliefs who became one with nature after death. These spirits, also present in Afro-Brazilian religions such as catimbó or tambor de mina, embody vital force, living memory, and a profound connection to the land.

The Land of Jurema, as described by writer Sandro Guimarães de Salles in In the Shadow of the Enchanted Jurema, is a place where the veil between worlds is porous. There, one finds “invisible cities” , sacred sites scattered across the Northeast, where dialogue between the living and the spirits continues. This immaterial and shared land is a cornerstone of quilombola identity and a symbol of cultural resistance.

Romane Iskaria traveled through the territory of Jurema blending documentary work with intuitive sensitivity. Like an anthropologist, she immersed herself in the daily and spiritual life of these communities, capturing faces, gestures, landscapes, objects, and plants.

Her approach is grounded in listening and the creation of deep connections. By photographing moments of introspection and inner life, Romane takes part in the ritual itself, while spending meaningful time with the communities of Jurema and the quilombos. In doing so, she questions her own role through an aesthetic of relation, fostering reciprocity, the circulation of identities, and an intimate bond with the people she photographs.

Her work is also rooted in a personal connection: the one she has maintained since adolescence with the region of Paraíba, her father’s homeland. This emotional and familial bond nourishes an artistic and spiritual quest, giving rise to "Os Encantados", a project at the crossroads of photography, oral storytelling, and historical-anthropological analysis. This work sheds light on the histories, struggles, and spiritualities of the Jurema communities, while challenging dominant narratives about Brazilian identity. It celebrates a living heritage and tribute to those who inhabit, defend, and dream this land, a world both enchanted and deeply grounded in reality."

Romane Iskaria is a French photographer and artist working in Brussels, Belgium (1997). She graduated with a Master's degree in photography from ENSAV La Cambre in 2022 and a DNA (National Diploma in Plastic Arts) from INSEAAM Beaux Arts in Marseille in 2018. She also completed an exchange at the U-LAVAL Visual Arts school in Quebec, Canada.

The photographer highlights the injustices and inequalities of invisible communities with a documentary and fictional approach. Her images, specific to “Care”, tell a story and allow her subjects to become aware of their painful stories.

The artist uses photography and the field of video, but also textiles, sound, and sculpture to create immersive installations. She tells stories that take the form of a long-term investigation across several territories. Romane replays specific rituals and stories that also transcend borders, addressing questions around migration and exile. The photographer creates plastic forms allowing her to subvert the codes of documentary.

Romane is laureate of TIFF 2024 Emerging Belgian Photography, by FOMU Fotomuseum Antwerpen and the european platform FUTURES Photography.

"Os Encantados, which means “The Enchanted Ones,” is a photographic and documentary project by Romane Iskaria dedicated to the *quilombola* communities of Northeastern Brazil and their ancestral connection to the Land of Jurema: a sacred space at the boundary between the visible and the invisible.

Quilombos are territories of resistance that originated during the colonial era, founded by escaped African slaves, Indigenous peoples, and at times marginalized Europeans. They represent forms of cultural, political, and spiritual autonomy born from the violence of colonialism, while also symbolizing a living resistance to domination. Even today, these communities continue to fight for the recognition of their territorial and cultural rights, in a context still marked by the legacy of slavery and colonial exploitation.

At the heart of this culture is the Jurema Sagrada, a spiritual tradition emerging from the fusion of Indigenous and African belief systems. The jurema (Mimosa Hostilis Benth), a sacred plant, holds a central place in the region’s spiritual practices. Known for its psychotherapeutic and ritual properties, it symbolizes cultural resistance and the interweaving of Indigenous and African spiritualities, an outcome of the intercultural encounters brought about by colonialism. The plant is also associated with the Encantados, supernatural entities from Indigenous beliefs who became one with nature after death. These spirits, also present in Afro-Brazilian religions such as catimbó or tambor de mina, embody vital force, living memory, and a profound connection to the land.

The Land of Jurema, as described by writer Sandro Guimarães de Salles in In the Shadow of the Enchanted Jurema, is a place where the veil between worlds is porous. There, one finds “invisible cities” , sacred sites scattered across the Northeast, where dialogue between the living and the spirits continues. This immaterial and shared land is a cornerstone of quilombola identity and a symbol of cultural resistance.

Romane Iskaria traveled through the territory of Jurema blending documentary work with intuitive sensitivity. Like an anthropologist, she immersed herself in the daily and spiritual life of these communities, capturing faces, gestures, landscapes, objects, and plants.

Her approach is grounded in listening and the creation of deep connections. By photographing moments of introspection and inner life, Romane takes part in the ritual itself, while spending meaningful time with the communities of Jurema and the quilombos. In doing so, she questions her own role through an aesthetic of relation, fostering reciprocity, the circulation of identities, and an intimate bond with the people she photographs.

Her work is also rooted in a personal connection: the one she has maintained since adolescence with the region of Paraíba, her father’s homeland. This emotional and familial bond nourishes an artistic and spiritual quest, giving rise to "Os Encantados", a project at the crossroads of photography, oral storytelling, and historical-anthropological analysis. This work sheds light on the histories, struggles, and spiritualities of the Jurema communities, while challenging dominant narratives about Brazilian identity. It celebrates a living heritage and tribute to those who inhabit, defend, and dream this land, a world both enchanted and deeply grounded in reality."

Romane Iskaria is a French photographer and artist working in Brussels, Belgium (1997). She graduated with a Master's degree in photography from ENSAV La Cambre in 2022 and a DNA (National Diploma in Plastic Arts) from INSEAAM Beaux Arts in Marseille in 2018. She also completed an exchange at the U-LAVAL Visual Arts school in Quebec, Canada.

The photographer highlights the injustices and inequalities of invisible communities with a documentary and fictional approach. Her images, specific to “Care”, tell a story and allow her subjects to become aware of their painful stories.

The artist uses photography and the field of video, but also textiles, sound, and sculpture to create immersive installations. She tells stories that take the form of a long-term investigation across several territories. Romane replays specific rituals and stories that also transcend borders, addressing questions around migration and exile. The photographer creates plastic forms allowing her to subvert the codes of documentary.

Romane is laureate of TIFF 2024 Emerging Belgian Photography, by FOMU Fotomuseum Antwerpen and the european platform FUTURES Photography.

"Os Encantados, which means “The Enchanted Ones,” is a photographic and documentary project by Romane Iskaria dedicated to the *quilombola* communities of Northeastern Brazil and their ancestral connection to the Land of Jurema: a sacred space at the boundary between the visible and the invisible.

Quilombos are territories of resistance that originated during the colonial era, founded by escaped African slaves, Indigenous peoples, and at times marginalized Europeans. They represent forms of cultural, political, and spiritual autonomy born from the violence of colonialism, while also symbolizing a living resistance to domination. Even today, these communities continue to fight for the recognition of their territorial and cultural rights, in a context still marked by the legacy of slavery and colonial exploitation.

At the heart of this culture is the Jurema Sagrada, a spiritual tradition emerging from the fusion of Indigenous and African belief systems. The jurema (Mimosa Hostilis Benth), a sacred plant, holds a central place in the region’s spiritual practices. Known for its psychotherapeutic and ritual properties, it symbolizes cultural resistance and the interweaving of Indigenous and African spiritualities, an outcome of the intercultural encounters brought about by colonialism. The plant is also associated with the Encantados, supernatural entities from Indigenous beliefs who became one with nature after death. These spirits, also present in Afro-Brazilian religions such as catimbó or tambor de mina, embody vital force, living memory, and a profound connection to the land.

The Land of Jurema, as described by writer Sandro Guimarães de Salles in In the Shadow of the Enchanted Jurema, is a place where the veil between worlds is porous. There, one finds “invisible cities” , sacred sites scattered across the Northeast, where dialogue between the living and the spirits continues. This immaterial and shared land is a cornerstone of quilombola identity and a symbol of cultural resistance.

Romane Iskaria traveled through the territory of Jurema blending documentary work with intuitive sensitivity. Like an anthropologist, she immersed herself in the daily and spiritual life of these communities, capturing faces, gestures, landscapes, objects, and plants.

Her approach is grounded in listening and the creation of deep connections. By photographing moments of introspection and inner life, Romane takes part in the ritual itself, while spending meaningful time with the communities of Jurema and the quilombos. In doing so, she questions her own role through an aesthetic of relation, fostering reciprocity, the circulation of identities, and an intimate bond with the people she photographs.

Her work is also rooted in a personal connection: the one she has maintained since adolescence with the region of Paraíba, her father’s homeland. This emotional and familial bond nourishes an artistic and spiritual quest, giving rise to "Os Encantados", a project at the crossroads of photography, oral storytelling, and historical-anthropological analysis. This work sheds light on the histories, struggles, and spiritualities of the Jurema communities, while challenging dominant narratives about Brazilian identity. It celebrates a living heritage and tribute to those who inhabit, defend, and dream this land, a world both enchanted and deeply grounded in reality."

Romane Iskaria is a French photographer and artist working in Brussels, Belgium (1997). She graduated with a Master's degree in photography from ENSAV La Cambre in 2022 and a DNA (National Diploma in Plastic Arts) from INSEAAM Beaux Arts in Marseille in 2018. She also completed an exchange at the U-LAVAL Visual Arts school in Quebec, Canada.

The photographer highlights the injustices and inequalities of invisible communities with a documentary and fictional approach. Her images, specific to “Care”, tell a story and allow her subjects to become aware of their painful stories.

The artist uses photography and the field of video, but also textiles, sound, and sculpture to create immersive installations. She tells stories that take the form of a long-term investigation across several territories. Romane replays specific rituals and stories that also transcend borders, addressing questions around migration and exile. The photographer creates plastic forms allowing her to subvert the codes of documentary.

Romane is laureate of TIFF 2024 Emerging Belgian Photography, by FOMU Fotomuseum Antwerpen and the european platform FUTURES Photography.