Date and location: October 25, 2026, 13:00 - 16:00, Popa Tatu 68, Bucharest Duration: ~ 3 hours Price: 300 lei (includes the price of one copy of Râsu'-plânsu' that you will intervene on and leave with). The payment will be done on the day of the workshop. Available spots: maximum 12 people. Book your spot here. Details: This workshop is an extension of Râsu'-plânsu' Interventions, a project that treats the photobook as a space for personal intervention and creative action. Each participant works on their own copy of the photobook Râsu'-plânsu'. The starting point is a question about the relationship between a finished form and the individual need to reshape it. Just as residents of the apartment blocks built during Romania's systematization period adapted the space imposed on them to their own needs, participants will be invited to adapt the book to themselves. Interventions can be permanent or temporary, subtle or radical, visual, material or conceptual, intuitive or drawn from personal experience. There is no single correct way to work. This is not a bookbinding workshop, and it doesn't teach "correct" artist's-book techniques - its aim is to open a space for experiment, reflection and individual expression. If participants want to, their interventions can be printed and included as part of the exhibition. What you'll do: explore the photobook as an object you can inhabit, not just look at work directly on your own printed copy - drawing, covering, adding pages or materials develop a personal, physical response to a fixed, already-published form reflect individually and in a short group conversation on the process, not the aesthetic result leave with a unique, altered copy of the book, and the option to have it documented for the project's online archive and take part in the exhibition at CdRF Programme: 0:00–0:20 - Introduction: the project, its background, and the workshop's rules 0:20–0:35 - Opening exercise: a quiet first look-through of the book, guided by a few simple questions 0:35–2:20 - Individual work, with short one-on-one check-ins 2:20–2:45 - Group viewing and conversation about the process 2:45–3:00 - Optional documentation: photographs and a short written reflection Who it's for: Adults and young people (16+) interested in photography, artist's books, contemporary art, and hands-on creative work. No prior bookbinding or technical experience is needed. Materials: Provided by us: white and coloured paper, glue, scissors, paper clips, thread, rulers, pencils, pens, markers, crayons, paint. Participants are welcome to bring their own materials or small found objects. Each participant needs their own printed copy of Râsu'-plânsu' (the book is included in the price of the workshop). The artist will be selling copies of her book throughout the entire exhibition programme. About the artist: Aga Łuczakowska is a documentary photographer based in Katowice, Poland. She studied photography with Christopher Morris and Stanley Greene, holds a pedagogical certificate, and has completed online training with MoMA on teaching art, alongside teaching experience going back to 2005. Her photobook Râsu'-plânsu' documents how people personalised standardised apartment blocks during Romania's Ceaușescu-era systematization program (1974–1989). Râsu'-plânsu' Interventions is an ongoing extension of that project, incorporating interventions by Aga and invited artists into an evolving archive. [agaluczakowska.com] The Râsu'-plânsu' book's publishing partner is Katowice Miasto Ogrodów – Instytucja Kultury im. Krystyny Bochenek

As part of the Unseen and Unspoken exhibition, an artist talk with Anna Bedyńska will take place on June 12 at 6:00 PM at CdRF Gallery, Popa Tatu 68. Anna will speak about her photographic practice, how she approaches difficult or uncomfortable subjects, and the projects through which she explores fragile areas of human experience: death, marginalization, vulnerability, the body, identity, and the ways photography can create space for empathy and dialogue. Anna Bedyńska is a photojournalist, artist, and lecturer with extensive international experience and a practice centered on documentary reportage and social issues. She has received major awards, including the World Press Photo 2013 award, the Grand Prix at Grand Press Photo, National Geographic awards, and other significant distinctions in documentary photography. She has worked and exhibited internationally, published photography books, and developed campaigns with social and educational impact. For photographers interested in documentary work, portraiture, visual storytelling, or long-term personal projects, this event offers a rare opportunity to engage directly with an experienced artist whose work lies at the intersection of photography, journalism, vulnerability, and responsibility. It is a conversation about the exhibition, but also about how to build a mature photographic practice that is relevant and connected to contemporary art. Artist Talk: Anna Bedyńska June 12, 6:00 PM CdRF Gallery / Popa Tatu 68 Free admission.

Anna Bedyńska turns her camera toward what contemporary culture often hides from view: death and otherness. By bringing into the light both fading funeral traditions and the portraits of people with albinism, she breaks through silence and invisibility, reclaiming space for empathy, dignity, and dialogue. Clothes for Death We live in more and more dehumanized times, family relations are more and more loose, people relationships are more and more depersonalized. Our life is automatised in many aspects, death and burial are among them. There is a tradition that is almost extinct in Poland, Eastern Europe. The tradition of preparing clothes for death. People who pass away these days at the age of 80 and over, are the last ones who cultivate this tradition. This is our heritage with deep roots in ancient times. If we do not document this now, the next generations will be deprived of it. As one of my characters said: it is not proper to go in jeans to meet the Lord. This is why many old people prepare clothes for death before they die. Sometimes they sew, sometimes they buy brand new and they collect them with pietism. Others say that it must be comfortable and used, as the journey to Infinite is long. Some want it black, others full of colors. Everything has its meaning. Underwear, stockings, skirts, blouses with long sleeves for women, suits and white shirts for men. Some want to take several goods for “the last journey”, pictures of saints, prayer books, rosaries, etc. Wife gives her husband his favorite walking stick and accordion. By selecting clothing that holds sentimental value or has significance in one’s life, the person can create a lasting memory for their family and friends. It's a way to preserve memories. It is said that we cannot ignore the will of the dead, who had declared beforehand what he/she wanted to wear and how he/she wanted to be buried. Otherwise, it is believed that the dead person cannot find comfort and the right way to Infinity. Moreover, the person, who did not fulfill the will of the dead person, can be hunted by the soul of the dead. Discussing and planning these preparations serve a profound purpose – they humanize the concept of death. In a world where discussions about mortality are often hushed and death itself is a taboo subject, these conversations open the door to understanding and emotional support among family members. It allows individuals and their loved ones to express their desires and concerns openly, fostering a deeper connection in the face of loss. This particular tradition is still cultivated in little towns and villages, mostly among the old, passing away generation. People in towns employ the funeral companies that take care of the dead bodies, clothes and other duties. Death is still a taboo. The contemporary society is much more into everlasting beauty and youth and are afraid to think and even talk about the death that is naturally embedded into lifespan. In this series, I hope to not only preserve a fading tradition but also to immortalize the essence of what it means to be human. Clothes for Death is more than a visual narrative; I invite the viewers to reflect on the intricate dance between life and death, reminding us of the beauty in embracing our mortality with grace and profound humanity. White Power There are many shades of beauty. In the glossy pages of magazines, social media and advertising, beauty is often the result of hours of make-up, styling, and digital retouching. Teams of specialists refine every detail to create the polished images we see in public spaces. What remains hidden from us is the unaltered, original face of the person being photographed. The portraits in the White Power series invite us to rediscover beauty shaped by nature itself. Albinism, caused by a recessive gene inherited from both parents, affects approximately one in every 20,000 people worldwide, while one in 70 carries the gene. An albino child can be born into any family, even if there is no history of albinism before. Because their bodies lack pigment, people with albinism have hair, skin, and eyes deprived of color. This absence of melanin makes them extremely sensitive to sunlight, with skin prone to inflammation and eyes vulnerable to conditions such as photophobia, nystagmus, and astigmatism. As a result, many withdraw from the light, both literally and symbolically. Too often, they face stigma, exclusion, and social ostracism. What is a real, genuine beauty?! Beauty that not everyone is able to see? Albinos live in the shade and shadow. “I wanted to pull them out of their shelters and put them on the stage and prove to them and others that the true beauty, is not manufactured by stylists or digital tools, but rooted in authenticity, in the resilience of the human soul, and in the truth of lived experience” – claims Bedyńska. In some African beliefs, albino are considered to be the incarnation of spirits of the dead, there is a superstition that albino body parts have magical powers that can bring happiness to the holder of amulets or potions made with albino body parts. This was the reason for the persecution of the community, including the murders on the trail: Tanzania-Zambia-Congo-Camerun-Nigeria. About the artist In her projects, Bedyńska delves into the world of the vulnerable and marginalized, the sick and disabled. The human experience is always at the core of her work. Her focus is reportage, often exploring taboo subjects. She has documented births and deaths. Among her notable series are Birth with Humanity and Clothes for Death, both of which challenge the taboos surrounding birth and death and have been featured in social campaigns. In 2024 she created the awareness campaign „Spot the Dot”, on skin cancer prevention, using her street photography from Japan inspired by Yayoi Kusama. She likes to detabularise topics that often are swept under the rug, the ones that seem to be uncomfortable or hidden from the public eye and puts women in the center of her attention. She has won numerous prestigious awards, including the World Press Photo 2013, the Grand Prix in Grand Press Photo (2005 and 2017), the National Geographic award, and the „It’s Worth Being Together” special prize in the BZ WBK Foto contest, Annual Award from the Minister of Culture of Poland and a laureate of honorable mention of Publication of the Year 2024. Her debut film, In Another World, premiered in Leipzig at the prestigious documentary film festival and received the main prize for Best Student Film at the Kinoproba Festival in Yekaterinburg. In 2024, she released two photobooks – Forever Mine and Spot the Dot – which not only earned her industry recognition but also sparked significant social and educational impact. Mother, photojournalist, lecturer, triathlonist, mountain climber and laughter lover. A member of the Canon Ambassador Program (2013-2018), Women Photographers and Polish Women Photographers. She has lived and worked in Warsaw, Moscow, Tokyo, Hong Kong, currently in Bucharest. annabedynska.com

About the project The "Photography Resource Center" project started from the desire to support the development and professionalization of the photographic community in Romania, at the moment there is a lack of community management and representation structures. Perhaps the biggest challenge of a freelance photographer is the fact that he has to be an artist, manager, salesman, PR and sometimes an accountant at the same time. In the case of amateur photographers, the challenge lies in the lack of finality of the artistic act and in the difficult process of entering the market. The public of events dedicated strictly to photography is a niche and relatively small one. Thus, the project proposes the creation of a photography resource center, which, in addition to a dedicated space, will offer educational programs, professional development programs, artistic events and products, and support services for professional photographers; the beneficiaries of the project will be the center's team, 2 visual artists, 158 professional and amateur photographers, 1215 event participants, 3 talented young people and 3 photographers from Norway. The role of the photography resource center is to connect photographers with each other, and photographers with other professionals in other fields. It also wants to be a nursery where amateur photographers can develop, to be able to take the step towards professionalization. Last but not least, the general objective is to become the most important photo resource center in Romania by developing a management structure for the community of photographers in Bucharest and in the country. The specific objectives aim at: The development of a photo resource center in Bucharest which, by the end of the project, will offer a comprehensive range of resources and services for Romanian photographers, thus contributing to the professionalization and artistic development of the community and Increasing the access of at least 158 photographers to professional development programs and at least 1215 people to artistic events by the end of the project, helping to increase access and diversify cultural products. The project activities include the development of the center in the first year of implementation (mentoring for the team, organizing the space and the program) and the organization in the second year of a series of programs and events including workshops, courses, masterclasses, exhibitions, etc. The center will provide the following resources: --Physical resources – library equipped with books and photo albums, computers with specific software for photo processing, workspaces and at least one fully equipped photo studio; --Resources to facilitate skills development – authorized courses, photography workshops, masterclasses and portfolio assessments, discussions and information transfer opportunities for professional and amateur photographers; --Resources for promoting photographers – exhibitions, author photography sales events and creative residencies. The partner from Norway - Morten Bruun - will be actively involved in the construction of the center and the services offered, providing lecturers and mentors from Norway, communicating the project in Norway and supporting the development of the center. The results of the project are 3 jobs, 1215 participants in cultural activities, 1 SME supported, 7 professionals with skills/expertise developed at the workplace, 22 contemporary art activities supported and the strengthening of bilateral collaboration. The Photography Resource Center project is financed by the EEA Grants 2014 - 2021 within the RO-CULTURE Program. ..... The EEA Grants represent the contribution of Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway towards a green, competitive and inclusive Europe. There are two overall objectives: reduction of economic and social disparities in Europe, and to strengthen bilateral relations between the donor countries and 15 EU countries in Central and Southern Europe and the Baltics. The three donor countries cooperate closely with the EU through the Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA). The donors have provided €3.3 billion through consecutive grant schemes between 1994 and 2014. For the period 2014-2021, the EEA Grants amount to €1.55 billion. More details are available on: www.eeagrants.org and www.eeagrants.ro . RO-CULTURE is implemented in Romania by the Ministry of Culture through the Project Management Unit. The Programme aims at strengthening social and economic development through cultural cooperation, cultural entrepreneurship and cultural heritage management. The total budget amounts to almost 34 million EUR. For more details access: www.ro-cultura.ro

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