OS ENCANTADOS

^{In “Os Encantados,” meaning “The Enchanted Ones,” photographer Romane Iskaria depicts the lives of the descendants of the Quilombo communities who reside in a sacred area called Terre de Jurema, in Northeast Brazil. Quilombos (maroons in English and palenques in Spanish) are predominantly Black ethnic territories located in rural and urban areas, with kinship and ancestral ties dating back to the era of slavery. These communities define themselves based on their relationships with the land, ancestral heritage, and cultural practices, and struggle for possession of their territory. Territory is the space necessary for the physical and cultural reproduction of each group, given its different forms of use. Even today, they suffer the lingering consequences of colonialism and struggle to preserve their lands and ancestral culture. As writer Sandro Guimarães de Salles states in his book "In the Shadow of the Enchanted Jurema," the Land of Jurema is a place of spiritual importance where the veil between worlds is porous; the author speaks of "invisible cities," listing ten sacred sites located in the Nordeste region.

Jurema Sagrada spirituality has spread throughout Brazil and the Iberian Peninsula, transforming into a transnational religiosity and carrying with it an entire symbolic, representative, and cultural apparatus, whose raison d'être is the Enchanted. The Enchanted are the main cultural entities of Jurema Sagrada religiosity. It is in the spiritual world of Jurema that the Enchanted reside.

"Os Encantados" aims to explore the ancestral heritage of the Jurema territory, a spiritual practice for the people of the

Brazilian Nordeste, particularly the Quilombo communities. The latter are often deprived of the ability to define themselves both culturally and geographically. Jurema, as a non-physical territory, represents an invisible space that transcends the boundary between the material and intangible worlds. It is both an individual place and a collective asset, shared by members of Quilombo communities, and cannot be taken away from them, as it constitutes a fundamental element of their identity and resistance.

This quest was born from a personal attachment to a territory: the Paraíba region of Brazil, where Romane Iskaria's father lives. She has returned there regularly since her adolescence. Over time, this place has taken on a singular role in her journey, nourished by an emotional connection. It has become a field of exploration, thus initiating a profound documentary research as well as a personal quest.

Ongoing project, Condé Paraíba Brasil.}

^{2025 Uzina Energisa Institute, Art Gallery, João Pessoa, Paraiba, Northeast BRAZIL, February 2025.
Collaboration with the Brazilian PhD in anthropology and descolonialism Osvaldo Falcão, curated by Serge Huot.}

^{2024 .tiff Emerging Belgian Photography in BrakkeGrond Amsterdam Netherlands during UNSEEN Art Photo Fair - september

2024 .tiff Emerging Belgian Photography with FOMU (Museum of Photography) Antwerp Belgium - june}

^{Exhibition view Os Encantados,Uzina Energisa Institute, art gallery, João Pessoa, Paraiba, Northeast BRAZIL 2025.}

^{Exhibition view : collage Os Encantados.
Dimension : 9mx2m.

Materials : photography, archives, texts, earth of Paraíba.

Uzina Energisa Institute, art gallery, João Pessoa, Paraiba, Northeast BRAZIL 2025.}

^{Exhibition view close-up : collage Os Encantados, 9mx2m, materials : photography, archives, texts, earth of Paraíba.

Uzina Energisa Institute, art gallery, João Pessoa, Paraiba, Northeast BRAZIL 2025.}

^{Exhibition view Os Encantados,Uzina Energisa Institute, art gallery, João Pessoa, Paraiba, Northeast BRAZIL 2025.}

^{Exhibition view Os Encantados,Uzina Energisa Institute, art gallery, João Pessoa, Paraiba, Northeast BRAZIL 2025.}

^{Exhibition view Os Encantados, self-portrait Romane Iskaria, Uzina Energisa Institute, art gallery, João Pessoa, Paraiba, Northeast BRAZIL 2025.}

^{Exhibition view Os Encantados, research table, Uzina Energisa Institute, art gallery, João Pessoa, Paraiba, Northeast BRAZIL 2025.}

^{Exhibition view, Os Encantados, video textile installation, Uzina Energisa Institute, art gallery, João Pessoa, Paraiba, Northeast BRAZIL 2025.}

^{Exhibition view Os Encantados, .TIFF 2024 Emerging Belgian Photography, FOMU Antwerp (BE) 2024}

^{Exhibition view Os Encantados, .TIFF 2024 Emerging Belgian Photography, FOMU Antwerp (BE) 2024}

^{Exhibition view Os Encantados video installation, .TIFF 2024 Emerging Belgian Photography, FOMU Antwerp (BE) 2024}

^{Exhibition view Os Encantados, .TIFF 2024 Emerging Belgian Photography, FOMU Antwerp (BE) 2024}

^{Exhibition view Os Encantados, video installation, .TIFF 2024 Emerging Belgian Photography, FOMU Antwerp (BE) 2024}
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