During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Gabriel Buca undertook a mandatory trip to Romania for a passport renewal. Requiring to isolate themself for 2 weeks, Gabriel chose to do so with his maternal grandfather, Mihail Lascăr Melichian - reminiscing on each other’s experiences and past during their time together. Gabriel’s maternal grandfather is considered by the artist to be one of the key influential masculine figures in his childhood upbringing, having acted as his nanny for many years of his formative years, when his parents had to work but couldn’t entrust the young child to be by themselves yet. Rather than just keeping watch of the child, Mihail regularly took young Gabriel along on trips and adventures with his bike, during which Mihail would occasionally offer life lessons and life skills. These interactions and dedication of Mihail Lascăr Melichian to the young artist have shaped the artist’s contemporary personality and life views.

Having grown up and reflected on his time together with his grandfather, as well as additional stories of relatives of Melichian’s unique, yet reserved, personality, Gabriel began to document his grandfather through photographs, comparing his current life to its past, through old documents, photographs, and objects around Melichian’s apartment, to create a brief overview of his intriguing personality and diverse past. These documents and photographs were then curated together in a Romanian and English photobook, aimed at presenting the personality of a post-communist Romanian man, full of stories and quirks. The photobook accords the viewer a private glance into the life of one of the artist’s influential figures during their upbringing, immersing the viewer into Romanian culture and atmosphere.