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

This time last week, we were kicking off the 2026 edition of Meeting Point, the program through which we aim to support the development of Romanian photographers by sharing know-how, creating networking opportunities, and facilitating collaborations with professionals from the international photography and art industries. In other words, the very mission of CdRF. Looking back, we can say that the four days of Meeting Point offered participants a complete educational, professional, and artistic development experience. Photographers learned from Marina Paulenka about the steps needed to grow their careers, from institutions and festivals to open calls and beyond. Complementing this, Wiktoria Michałkiewicz spoke about how to prepare for a portfolio review. Last but not least, the masterclass led by Wiktoria and Claudio explored how to break beyond national borders, while also confronting participants with a difficult truth: beyond a certain point, the photographs themselves matter less because technically they are all good; what truly matters is conceptualization, presentation, and visibility. Rui Prata reminded us why a deep understanding of photographic history is essential to artistic growth, regardless of the photographic path one chooses, while Elina Heikka expanded on this perspective by showing how archival photography can be used within contemporary photographic practice. Participants already developing photographic projects also had the opportunity to work one-on-one with Claudio Composti on project editing, sequencing, and conceptualization, and with Gilles Cargueray on creating a photography book. (Incidentally, Gilles’ advice was to collaborate with a designer or with someone who can bring additional value to your images, such as a sociologist, anthropologist, architect, or another professional relevant to your project’s theme.) And finally, everyone took part in portfolio reviews, which already sparked the beginnings of future collaborations between some of the photographers brave enough to share their work and several of our invited guests. Another important part of the program was the opportunity to host an exhibition curated by Marina Paulenka at CdRF. So, on the last day of April (in freezing cold weather and relentless rain) we installed Erika Guadagnin’s exhibition, Home Is Not a Question. Marina spent countless hours arranging every detail of the exhibition so that it would faithfully convey the way Erika’s idea of “home” is constructed through places, memories, and personal histories, creating both an ideal path for the viewer and a clear expression of the artist’s message. Through this process, we were once again reminded of how important the collaboration between artist and curator truly is, and how the very same body of work can take on entirely new layers and meanings through a curator’s edit. We invite you to visit us and see the exhibition anytime over the next two weeks. And finally, many thanks. Thank you to everyone who chose to take part in this event. We met or reconnected with photographers with whom we share so much in common. Beyond the formal structure of the event itself, all of this organic networking proved just as valuable, and it genuinely felt like a wave of positive energy. We would also like to thank the six incredible people who accepted our invitation: Elina Heikka, Wiktoria Michałkiewicz, Marina Paulenka, Gilles Cargueray, Claudio Composti, and Rui Prata. Thank you to Erika Guadagnin for the trust she placed in us with the exhibition Home Is Not a Question. Special thanks as well to the entire CdRF team: Daria, Diana, Angelica, Raluca, Oana, Andreea, Ștefan, Sorin, Alex, Ion, Alex. P.S. Planning for Meeting Point 2027 has already begun. Photo gallery:

"Home Is Not a Question" unfolds as a spatial and visual inquiry into belonging, shaped through the long-term negotiation between Italy and Romania that defines Erika Guadagnin’s practice. At its core, the project can also be understood as a personal navigation, an attempt by the artist to locate herself within and between these contexts, not by resolving the question of belonging, but by staying with its uncertainty. Working from archival traces, vernacular images, and fragments of community histories, Guadagnin approaches the image as an unstable ground. Across the exhibition, archival materials appear layered, interrupted, and partially obscured, often by curtain-like structures that both divide and connect. These gestures introduce a quiet but persistent spatial metaphor: two worlds held in proximity yet never fully reconciled. The curtain becomes a threshold, a surface of projection, and a point of separation, suggesting how identity is continuously negotiated across visible and invisible boundaries. Her photographic language extends beyond the image itself. Printed on metal, suspended on transparent foils, or embedded within sculptural installations, works shift in response to the viewer’s movement. Frames overlap, dissolve, or remain deliberately incomplete, allowing images to exist in a state of permeability. What emerges is not a fixed narrative, but a field of relations where meaning is contingent, constructed through duration, attention, and positioning. At the same time, the artist’s research into Italian communities in Romania reveals a condition of dispersed presence, a community that exists without a stable or unified representation. This gap between lived reality and its visibility becomes central to the work. Guadagnin does not attempt to resolve it. Instead, she composes through fragmentation, allowing discontinuities to remain active, holding together elements that resist alignment. Motherhood introduces an additional layer to this inquiry, sharpening the question of continuity and transmission. What is carried forward, and from where? How does one articulate “home” for another when it is not fully defined for oneself? These questions resonate throughout the exhibition, grounding its conceptual concerns in lived experience. Presented at CDRF in Romania, the exhibition unfolds as an open trajectory rather than a fixed path. There is no single point of view. Each step produces a shift, each position a different alignment of images and meanings. It is within this movement that the work finds its form, as an ongoing attempt to situate oneself across thresholds, between histories, and within a space that remains, by necessity, unresolved. — Marina Paulenka About the artist Born in Italy and based in Romania for nearly two decades, Erika Gaudagnin develops her practice between two cultural contexts, within a continuous process of negotiation and reconfiguration. Identity is approached as a fluid condition, shaped by movement, memory, and lived experience. Her research draws on archival materials and community-based narratives, with a specific focus on the fragmented presence of Italians in Romania. These materials are rearticulated into installations, collages, paintings, and artist books, where image and document function as unstable structures of meaning. The practice investigates the relationship between the visible and the invisible in images, as well as the ways in which meaning shifts through juxtaposition, generating an open field of interpretation. In this context, “home” is not understood as a fixed location, but as a continuously evolving process, shaped by migration and motherhood. About the curator Based in Berlin and originally from Croatia, Marina Paulenka brings over 18 years of experience in artistic direction, curating, education, leadership, management, and cultural development, alongside her own artistic practice. Her work spans contemporary visual, digital, and performing arts, with a specialization in photography and new media. Across these roles and mediums, she consistently pushes boundaries, provokes critical dialogue, and engages with urgent global concerns. In 2008, she founded Organ Vita Festival (Zagreb) and managed it until 2019 when she became the artistic director of the photography fair UNSEEN in Amsterdam. In 2022, Marina became the Founding Director of Fotografiska Berlin where she defined its artistic vision, institutional strategy and the public identity of the museum. Drawing on her post-Yugoslav and Balkan heritage, Paulenka’s curatorial approach is rooted in rich cultural histories and complex socio-political realities. She engages deeply with feminism, identity, gender, human rights, and social justice, as well as the politics of the body, digital representation, and the sociocultural impact of cyberspace. Her perspective is informed by non-Western epistemologies, and she actively centers voices from African, Asian, Latin American, Indigenous, and diasporic communities, foregrounding aesthetics and knowledge shaped by lived histories of resistance, displacement, and care. Working both locally and internationally, she builds bridges between diverse cultural contexts and imagined futures, and is interested in how knowledge is constructed at the intersection of art, science, spirituality, and technology.

CdRF invites Romanian artists working with photography and expanded image based practices to apply for a curated solo exhibition. This open call seeks to identify one outstanding emerging or mid career artist  whose work engages critically, imaginatively, and formally with the conditions of contemporary life in Romania today. Curated by  Marina Paulenka Organised by CdRF ( cdrf.ro ) Deadline for submissions: 15.03.2026 Exhibition period: 01.05.2026 – 28.05.2026 Deadline extended: submissions until 24.03.2026 and announcing the winner on 30.03.2026 Artistic direction of the open call Rather than prescribing a single topic, this call is guided by a shared artistic orientation. We are looking for a practice that reflects on the present with intellectual depth, visual sensitivity, and ethical responsibility. We understand photography not simply as a tool of documentation, but as a space where power, memory, identity, and reality are negotiated and transformed. We are particularly interested in artists who address urgent contemporary issues in Romania, engaging with social, political, technological, ecological, and cultural transformations that shape everyday existence today. We encourage proposals that grapple with lived realities, structural inequalities, and the complex entanglements between the individual and society, including questions of power, belonging, and visibility . We are looking for work that reflects on histories of transformation, the legacies of post socialism, and the rapidly shifting landscapes of both urban and rural life , as well as the ongoing impact of migration, labour, and economic precarity . For this edition of the open call, we have a special interest in practices that critically examine how contemporary Romanian society is experienced and negotiated, from the reshaping of public and private spaces to the ways in which digital culture, surveillance, environmental change, and identity politics influence personal and collective life. We are open to diverse perspectives, ranging from intimate and personal approaches to more investigative, conceptual, or poetic strategies. We welcome submissions that challenge conventional definitions of photography and may incorporate mixed media, installation, moving image, sound, archival material, or digital formats, valuing experimentation, formal rigor, and thoughtful engagement with the medium. The selected artist will be invited to develop their project in close dialogue with the curator through a series of conversations in March and April . This collaborative process will support the conceptual development of the exhibition, the selection of works, and the overall curatorial framing, positioning the exhibition as both an artistic presentation and a space for reflection on contemporary Romanian society. About the curator Based in Berlin and originally from Croatia, Marina Paulenka  brings over 18 years of experience in artistic direction, curating, education, leadership, management, and cultural development—alongside her own artistic practice. Her work spans contemporary visual, digital, and performing arts, with a specialization in photography and new media. Across these roles and mediums, she consistently pushes boundaries, provokes critical dialogue, and engages with urgent global concerns. Her practice is shaped by intellectual rigor, a commitment to innovation, and a focus on intersectionality, experimentation, and the transformative potential of art. In 2008 she founded the Organ Vita Festival (Zagreb) and managed it until 2019 when she became the artistic director of the UNSEEN photography fair in Amsterdam. In recent years, Marina was the Founding Director of Fotografiska Berlin and established the artistic vision, institutional strategy and public identity of the museum. Drawing on her post-Yugoslav and Balkan heritage, Paulenka’s curatorial approach is rooted in rich cultural histories and complex socio-political realities. She engages deeply with feminism, identity, gender, human rights, and social justice,as well as the politics of the body, digital representation, and the sociocultural impact of cyberspace.  Her perspective is informed by non-Western epistemologies , and she actively centers voices from African, Asian, Latin American, Indigenous, and diasporic communities—foregrounding aesthetics and knowledge shaped by lived histories of resistance,displacement, and care. Working both locally and internationally, she builds bridges between diverse cultural contexts and imagined futures, and is interested in how knowledge is constructed at the intersection of art, science, spirituality, and technology. Who can apply This open call is addressed to: Romanian artists/residents of Romania working with photography or image based practices; Emerging or mid career practitioners; Artists whose work shows conceptual maturity and originality. What we offer A fully curated solo exhibition at CdRF; Curatorial mentorship and dialogue throughout the development process; Complete production and installation support, within the institution’s possibilities; Visibility through CdRF’s communication channels and network. How to apply Please submit the following in a single PDF file (in English): A short artist statement, maximum 500 words; A project proposal outlining the finalised body of work you wish to present, maximum 800 words; Visual documentation of your work, including 10 to 15 images or links to video if relevant; A brief CV including education, exhibitions and relevant projects. Submissions should be uploaded here. Submission deadline: 15.03.2026, 23:59 (EET) Selection process Applications will be reviewed by the curator and the CdRF team. Shortlisted artists may be invited for an online conversation before the final selection is made. The final selection will happen on March 20. We look forward to discovering bold, thoughtful, and visually compelling work that engages with the complexities of contemporary Romanian society and expands the possibilities of photography as a critical artistic practice. For further information, please contact: hello@cdrf.ro

From April 4 until April 5 we're hosting the FotoMarket. The 10th edition! Not that it's a round number, but the thought excites us. We are consistent with the format that seems to deliver better and better experiences for everyone - participants and visitors. Therefore, we invite artists, individually or collectively, to sell their photos in any format. The important thing is that photography is the main intention. We want to see what you will bring: what images, in what formats, on what support, and at what prices. You can register until March 16 by email at hello@cdrf.ro . Images must be attached or with a download link. Insta links, portfolios or presentation sites do not help us. If we don't already know each other, please send us a presentation of yourself. Very important: we do not take commission from sales or participation fees. No entrance fee for visitors either. From previous editions:

The most recent exhibition by Bogdan Gîrbovan, curated by Diana Marincu, can be seen until July 10 at CdRF Galeria/ Popa Tatu 68. On June 9 and 13, starting at 6 PM, there will also be two guided tours with the artist. Bogdan Gîrbovan (b. 1981) is an artist who constantly seeks “images that don’t exist” in his photographs—those visual presences we overlook, we pass by without noticing, not because we don’t see them, but because we don’t know how to look at them. Often, we lack the tools to access perspectives that are sometimes uncomfortable, sometimes monotonous, requiring patience and time—sometimes inquisitive to the point of irritation, other times full of irony and flavor—through which the artist approaches his subjects. If in past photography series, Bogdan Gîrbovan explored social hierarchies and power relations or differences in social status within communities, this time we see a search placed in the increasingly well-defined trajectory of marginal roads and forgotten zones, a direction he had begun in the project Two Months Nowhere . There, the impulse of self-isolation from the visual noise of a large metropolis manifested fully, aiming to reset the artistic language of photography by disconnecting it from everyday aesthetic oversaturation. Time slowed down, the eye cleared, and identity lines clarified. In continuity with that approach, we can also "read" the current project, perhaps his boldest yet, Place / Living / Home , a series of new photographs—of which we see a representative selection here—acting as a synthesis of these three essential concepts. The photographs result from an almost performative act by the artist, who wanted to observe with his own eyes—and the eye of the camera—what “man’s best friend” sees from inside its kennel. What is the image seen through the opening of this shelter, and what does it mean to substitute the dog’s body with the artist’s? The three photographs monumentalize the original shelter, into which the artist squeezed himself, almost restoring the dignity and scale it deserves. Each “window” cutout of the dog’s shelter symbolizes a stage in human architectural development: from the circle as a solar rosette symbol, suggesting a necessary spiritual development, to the arch supporting the edges of a cross vault, and finally the “little house” symbol, drawn by every child asked to represent “home.” Perspective, horizon, expectation—all are notions we can either heighten or cancel through the image. It’s up to us. You have to think of an image that doesn’t exist. Interview with Bogdan Gîrbovan by Diana Marincu, on the occasion of the Place / Living / Home exhibition. --- Diana Marincu : Dear Bogdan, let’s take a look together at what you’re doing lately: this theme of “dwelling” runs through your entire body of work, but recently it has taken on a new dimension and a shift in perspective. Why did you crawl into a dog kennel, Bogdan? Bogdan Gîrbovan : As you already know, I didn’t just crawl into the dog kennel. I went into the pigsty, the duck coop, I climbed into the hen’s nest, I even rented a crane to look into a stork’s nest (though those are already man-made structures, built to help the birds not get lost in space and time). Then I stuck my hand into birds’ nests to see if I could somehow make another hole through which to look at what the bird sees from the riverbank. All this led to me finding a dog kennel with a hole in the back, a missing plank, and I thought, “Let’s look through that little gap.” So it was something born out of coincidence, a kind of research as an exercise in seeking through a mistake. When I bent down to see what the dog sees and looked through that ship porthole-like hole, the first photo came out—the one with the bones. I was fascinated by how the interior tells you something about the dog’s size or strength. And from all these multiple searches—which took me even to the cemetery, where I photographed pigeon nests that had found refuge there—this project was born. After taking that first photo from the kennel, I thought it was so powerful to get that close to man’s best friend in this way. And then I kept searching for kennels, though it was really difficult. I managed to photograph 12 kennels over 2 years. D.M.: You can definitely tell they’re carefully chosen and each one is different. Even though you were already interested in dwelling, this time there’s an added layer. It’s also about shelter, with a slightly different nuance—when we think about the refuge, the place you hide. B.G.: Yes, exactly. You’re hidden, sheltered, in a place to recharge, you’re protected. There’s also the connotation of a “fortress”; it’s a safe space, it’s also about belonging. And of course, that’s your place and no one else’s—except for a stray photographer, occasionally. (laughs) Every being has its own place, whether it’s a fish entering an old shell or a dog curling up in a kennel. From my point of view, I managed to synthesize this area: place / living / home . “Place” leads you to the physical construction side, “living” suggests shelter, and “home” seems to already be something aesthetic, comfortable. D.M.: Compared to your other series where you looked at living or housing, here you’re no longer just an observer. You’re an actor. You place a double lens: what the dog sees on one hand, and what the camera lens sees on the other. It feels to me like at that moment, you practically replace the dog’s body—you identify with its perspective. B.G.: Yes, because I’ve always felt like a loyal dog. I realized that everyone around me is playing a role, and mine is to be faithful to the very end, just like a dog that never snaps. D.M.: This identification of yours with the subject intrigues me, because you’re no longer that observer-photographer—you’re almost a performer. I imagine the working process, where you get inside the dog kennel, and it already becomes a much broader project than what we strictly see in the photo. It’s something you activated physically, with your body—something latent. B.G.: Yes, with the owners’ permission, I basically rented the dog’s house for a second. Just for a second, I lived there and enjoyed the dog’s home. I didn’t criticize it because, being a dog, I liked them all. (smiles) But I don’t have any making-of photos, because doing this whole searching route alone—with drills and gear on my back—I focused entirely on that one photo, and I couldn’t film myself. It was really hard to explain to the owners what I was doing—that I needed to remove the back of the kennel—and to convince them of my approach. I remember with the 10/1 project, too—there’s always this intense emotion when you enter a new home, when you take your shoes off and feel a little humble. Then you start to notice the smells. Then you observe the light, then the landscape visible through the window—or the dog’s porthole—and you’re so overwhelmed that every other concern disappears. And that’s when I feel best. D.M.: Well, it's better that there's no making-of, we imagine the whole process ourselves. You don't always need to see everything. I know there's this incredible thirst to see it all, but not everything has to be translated into images—that’s where the artistic act comes in. Each of your projects has something emblematic, iconic. That’s a unique quality of the image, one that’s been increasingly lost due to its democratization. Very few people still seek this symbolic quality of the image. And its potential to become somehow universal. B.G.: I know, I kept telling everyone: “Guys, you need to think of an image that doesn’t exist.” I know that sounds impossible. When I was explaining an unrealized project to a curator, she said: “I don’t believe it, that image doesn’t exist!” Exactly, it doesn’t—**I** create it; from today on, it exists. D.M.: That’s exactly what I think is truly a conquest of photographic art—not the capture of existing views, but the capture of images that don’t exist. B.G.: Exactly, yes, yes. A friend told me: “Bogdan, I swear, it’s really simple—you got into a doghouse, you took a picture, but a new line appeared in my brain. I never thought about anything like that in my life.” It’s like telling someone: “Look, you have a nose. You don’t see it because it’s so close to your eyes, but it’s there, and it’s beautiful, and it smells, and it does a lot of work.” That’s kind of how this guy felt when he saw the doghouses. So yes, I want images that don’t exist. D.M.: But what did you learn beyond the image you created? What did you find out about the relationship with space, with architecture, about the size of a person in relation to all these things—about what it’s like to think small, not just big? Because this obsession with scale haunts us all—we all want to think big. What’s it like to think and place yourself in a space that actually makes you small? B.G.: The feeling is overwhelming. Every time I entered a doghouse, I’d sit with the owner next to me—the person who built it—and it was very strange because everyone around us, neighbors, friends, would gather and laugh, while I was focusing on constructing the “smallness” I needed to get inside. And they’d laugh about how stupid the artists from Bucharest are. I came across a doghouse in Transylvania that was big and spacious—the owner told me he respects animals a lot, and even if the dog isn’t that big, the house is. Then I went somewhere in the Predeal–Brașov area where the owner had made a kind of enclosure, large and imposing. Of course, the architectures differ—people in the south don’t really care, they just nail together some old windows, with the mindset that “this’ll do,” while the others buy materials and use screws. The ones from the first category are very hard to repair after we take them apart. Everything from farther north was of higher quality—OSB boards, you could tell people had bought decent materials to build the doghouse. You know how I felt inside? Like in high school when I did speleology. I felt a bit scared because the first sensation is claustrophobia, and the strongest impression is the smell; then you start thinking about what you see—you’re happy if it’s something nice, and you get sad if it’s just a fence. When you enter the doghouse, it’s like trying on a medieval bracelet very carefully so you don’t break it. Now I’m making the prints in such a way that there’s space, so you’re not stressed, you can look calmly and know that you can be there anytime. D.M.: It’s a redimensioning that allows you to breathe more freely, right? B.G.: Yes, I overemphasized them. D.M.: But speaking of what you see—you were saying that in some cases you enjoyed what you saw through the kennel opening, taking the dog’s perspective, while at other times you were disappointed. Tell me, how much does what we see out the window every day matter? B.G.: It definitely matters. I don’t know to what extent it matters for dogs; the dog is a free animal, it’s outside all day and retreats at night. But even so, it seems grotesque to place the kennel against a wall or facing a fence—it feels a bit inhuman to me. Some are lucky, some are not. D.M.: And for us, humans, how much does this matter? It’s said that everything we see from an early age builds our entire visual universe. B.G.: I think it’s a complex cognitive issue, but since the brain is still insufficiently studied, everything is open to interpretation. Here, buildings and houses are constructed according to roads, and never has it been a priority what a person sees out the window. Only now are we starting to ask: but what do you see out your window? Do you enjoy what’s happening beyond your window? We feel lucky even if we see an industrial landscape—I mean, you tell your friends, look, a Berlin-style view—we enjoy the smokestacks still standing like mammoths that you can see from your window on the 10th floor in Dristor (editor’s note: a neighborhood in Bucharest). D.M.: The outside represents the world. B.G.: I asked dog owners why they placed the kennels like that: “Well, damn, I just put it like that.” I’m interested in majorities, not in the minority that sleeps with their dog in bed in the city—that’s why I traveled to small towns and villages. D.M.: Let’s go back to the photos on display. Why did you turn the photograph into an object for exhibition? These oversized, monumental objects that also emit light—you turned them into lightboxes. Why? B.G.: Because the first impression, when you enter such a small and claustrophobic space like a dog’s kennel, is the overwhelming sensation of light coming at you from the front—almost irritating, because it’s also very hard to photograph that setting. I had to shoot contre-jour, use technical tricks to balance the interior and exterior, and that’s why I want the light to come toward the viewer, to overwhelm them just like I felt inside that tiny kennel. I turned them into large and luxurious objects because, if I’ve been a faithful dog, I deserve a good bone to chew on. (laughs) D.M.: So it’s basically a translation of the working experience. B.G.: I gathered and accumulated all the energies and feelings I had and tried to create an object that’s close to the state I was in. I made them luminous because the light constantly blinded me and it was very hard to photograph them—and the result was such a pleasing image. D.M.: There’s a nice contrast between the povera-style aesthetic of the kennel and the elegance of the object. B.G.: Some people told me I should have made them out of broken wood, to match the image, but I wanted contrast. If I were photographing a gold jewel and wanted to highlight it, I’d put it in an old wooden box and make a poor lightbox. But when I see a poor dog kennel, I want to keep it like an icon, in a precious frame. D.M.: The kennel becomes a cathedral. B.G.: Exactly—it has to overwhelm you. D.M.: I told you—it’s like a synthesis of humanity’s architectural achievements over time, especially with the symbolic shapes cut into the little house. B.G.: Yes, you opened my mind with the circle, the oval, and the little house—they’re gorgeous like that. D.M.: There you can also see this conquest of space by humans, who have always wanted to build and innovate. But we’re returning to simple formulas that have been around for centuries—to the symbols of dwelling and something timeless. We’re returning to basic forms. B.G.: Yes, survival is minimal. You know, I look a lot at Japanese culture, and I read bits here and there, and everything boils down to very simple things: gardening, food, and fresh air. I transformed myself based on each dog’s little house. D.M.: How does the project continue? B.G.: Now I’m going to look more at birds, but I want to take a short break from Place / Dwelling / Home. Next, I want to focus on what is truly invisible—on underground waters. This is a new project about desertification in the south, about water scarcity. I’ll go in July, when nothing moves. Photography loves things that don’t move. D.M.: I also like an image that teaches you how to breathe. It doesn’t hound you. B.G.: I’m still looking for something I noticed last summer: that in July, shadows are under the objects—you don’t see any shadow. I’m going into wells searching for the shadow beneath the earth—that’s what I’ll do this summer. --- Bogdan Gîrbovan  (b. 1981, Drobeta-Turnu Severin) graduated from the Bucharest University of Arts with the photo series 10/1 , which became his most well-known work—ten interior landscapes capturing the distinct characteristics of the same built space, at different floors—a series that still has viral resonance online. His photography explores imagery that escapes the aesthetic oversaturation of contemporary visuals, analyzes categories through personal narratives, and investigates the transitional relationship between nature and humans. His projects, including Uniforms and Garments , RAPI , 5\@14 , and Two Months Nowhere , have been exhibited in Bucharest, Lodz, Timișoara, Krakow, Paris, Madrid, Zurich, Prague, Venice, Istanbul, and Chicago. His photographs have been published in Punctum , NYArts Magazine , Fotografija , IDEA , Post Photography , and National Geographic . He is the author of two artist books: RAPI (2017), in collaboration with Michele Bressan, and Categories (published in collaboration with Galeria Posibilă in 2019). Diana Marincu  is a curator and art critic, currently artistic director of the Art Encounters Foundation in Timișoara, and a board member of IKT since 2025. Between 2012–2018, she collaborated with Plan B Foundation in Cluj and with Fabrica de Pensule. Between 2015 and 2017, she co-curated, alongside Anca Verona Mihuleț, the six-part curatorial project The White Dot and the Black Cube , held at the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Bucharest. In 2017, together with Ami Barak, she curated the second edition of the Art Encounters Biennial, titled Life – A User’s Manual . For the Romania–France Season in 2018–2019, she curated two exhibitions in France, accompanied by catalogues, at MUCEM in Marseille and FRAC des Pays de la Loire. Through her work with the Art Encounters Foundation, Diana Marincu aims to explore links between neighboring artistic scenes in the region, build artistic connections based on cooperation/co-production, and support young generations of artists. Photo * Sorin Florea Strategic partners:  Mobius Gallery & Art Encounters Foundation.

The Soviet circus was not just a form of entertainment, but a profound cultural phenomenon – one that transcended social and economic divisions, uniting communities through a shared spectacle. Through the project КИО / KIO, Andreea Ilie examines the architectural, artistic and socio-political significance of Soviet circus buildings, investigating their role as instruments of collective identity and ideological cohesion. In the Soviet cultural landscape, the circus functioned as an essential public space, encouraging inclusion and community engagement. Performances were meticulously designed to appeal to diverse audiences while reinforcing state narratives and cultivating a sense of collective pride. Through an interdisciplinary approach, which includes sculpture and photography, КИО / KIO recontextualizes these structures, reflecting on their enduring legacy as spaces of artistic expression and social unification. The installation is an exploration of the power of shared spaces, reconsidering the circus not just as a relic of the past, but as a resonant symbol of collective experience and cultural memory. Andreea Ilie (b. 2001) is a visual artist, currently studying Photography and Videography at the National University of Arts in Bucharest. His artistic practice explores the relationship between architecture and the psyche, with a particular focus on socialist architecture. Using photography, ceramics and metal as his main means of expression, his works address themes related to collective experience and community. Her evocative images and sculptural interventions offer insight into the complexity of social structures, supporting spaces that promote unity. Through her works, the artist addresses themes such as fragmentation and isolation, inviting reflection on the power of collective action and the potential for social transformation.

In 2025, we are taking the CdRF educational program to a new stage, with very varied proposals that complement the Photography School, which has reached its 4th generation. By the way, stay tuned because we will soon launch the 5th edition of the School, a certified course for beginners that aims to guide you through the basics of photography and bring you to the point where you know what you want to photograph, why you want to photograph that thing/moment/person and why.   In April 2025 we are launching 2 workshops on developing black and white film and printing. The first is an introduction to the developing process and the second is 1-on-1 and teaches you the processes of enlargement, dodge and burn, printing, etc. It is a workshop suitable for anyone who takes photos on film and is interested in controlling the process all the way to the print or if you are simply curious about how things were done before Photoshop. In May 2025 we have a masterclass with Bogdan Gârbovan in which you will learn about what you can do with your photos – how to transform them into artistic works, how to present them further to gallery owners, curators, collectors, etc. During the course, Bogdan will also give an explanatory tour of the exhibition he will have at the same time at ours. It is a masterclass you need if you want to better understand how to sell art photography. In June we start an in-depth course in photographic project with Andrei Păcuraru. His students at the School of Photography know his concern for the photographic project; in short, he is the most suitable person to guide you and help you shed light on the tens of thousands of photos you have and that you don't know how to order and group. It is a suitable course if you want to take your photography from the level of snapshots and stand-alone images to the level of concept and photographic project. In September we invite you to the in-depth studio photography course . It will be intense and full of insights from Ionuț Staicu, a fashion photographer for the last 30 years and a product photographer for the last 5 years. It is a suitable course if you want to do commercial studio photography. In addition to these, we will soon launch others on the topic of fashion, conscious photography, writing, the art market circuit, etc. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to subscribe to the newsletter or follow us on Insta or Facebook.

We invite you to discover "Lingua Matrimonia Study No. 17" - the exhibition signed by visual artist and conceptual photographer Eliza Lupu, which will take place on March 20, at 6:00 PM, at Popa Tatu 68. "Lingua Matrimonia Study No. 17" represents a unique piece in an ongoing artistic process, in which each work is a fragment of a universal and spiritual search. Eliza Lupu explores the human body through the lens of the camera, capturing the purity, impurity and strangeness of reality. Her art approaches the body both as a symbol and as an archive of memory, beyond conscious thought. The underlying themes of his works include sexuality, intimacy, and love, and natural landscapes become extensions of the body, where the physical and the spiritual intersect. "Each of us is, at this moment, part of history" is a central thought that shines through in every photograph. Come explore a personal and sensitive perspective on the human body in contemporary art. We open our doors on March 20, at 6:00 PM, Popa Tatu Street 68.

From the curator: The artist is searching absolute freedom from the exterior in the etymological sense of absolvere: releasing, letting go, and is more inclined to search herself and her memories. And so her development of art, no longer needs the explicit rendition of the world as its principal means of expression. RUUCA shifts the accent to a poetic image as a more direct representation of her inner self. She releases herself from burden of expressing subjectivity and thus her work, gains autonomy and stands on it’s own. An art no longer subordinated to the task of representing reality. From the artist: I have started the project last year when I moved to London. It encompasses images of all the places I have been to in this time frame, reflecting my search of my place in this world.  My artistic process doubles as my own therapeutic process as I am on a venture of not only to discover where I belong in terms of spatiality but also in terms of self understanding. Throughout this venture I feel compelled to photograph everything in order to exist, belong and lately understand more about me. The images are associated with memories sometimes they are vivid, other times they are unclear. You will see textures, silhouettes and a play of light and shadow; I see family figures, old routines and various emotions.

CdRF becomes the meeting place for ten renowned curators who will get in touch with Romanian photography and meet some of the most representative photographers in a unique event. It promises to be a busy weekend. Friday from 18.00 - the opening of the exhibitions signed by Ioana Moldovan and PAC, Saturday from 12.00 - presentation of portfolios, Sunday - mingle. It really happens and we managed to align some planets, not a few and we thank Rezo Agency for the support. The ten curators are: Barbara Čeferin, Natan Dvir, Sára Jeleňová, Weronika Kobylińska, Jenny Lindhe, Wiktoria Michalkiewicz, Arianna Rinaldo, Marta Szymanska, István Virágvölgyi, Jessica Williams. Barbara Čeferin Barbara Čeferin is the owner of Galerija Fotografija, which she runs, and a member of the organizing and curatorial committee of Kranj Foto Fest. Over the past 18 years, Barbara has organized more than 150 exhibitions of Slovenian and foreign artists in Galerija Fotografija, as well as in other locations in Slovenia and abroad. In 2018, under her guidance, at the Slovenian Book Fair she opened a special section for photography books called Fotocona. In 2022, Galerija Fotografija was one of the founders of ETC. The magazine, dedicated to the presentation of current artistic production from the Baltic Sea to the Balkans. Natan Dvir Natan Dvir is an educator and conceptual documentary photographer who focuses on the human aspects of cultural, social and political issues. He received an MBA from Tel Aviv University and an MA in photography from the School of Visual Arts (NY), after which he became an adjunct faculty member at the International Center of Photography (ICP). Sára Jeleňová Sára Jeleňová currently works in the curatorial team of the festival of contemporary photography and new media OFF Bratislava. He is also curator and exhibition coordinator in the FOG Gallery. Her work is deeply rooted in a passion for contemporary photography, with a focus on supporting new talent and innovative visual approaches. Her approach to curating emphasizes cultural dialogue and the exploration of diverse artistic expressions, reflecting Sara's commitment to enriching the photography community both locally and internationally. Weronika Kobylińska Dr. Weronika Kobylińska, president of the Photo Archeology Foundation in Warsaw, is an art historian, curator and professor at the National Film, Television and Theater School in Łódź. She coordinates the Polish branch of the international research network Ars Graphica. Her second book, focused on Polish photography ("The Avant-Garde Film"), was nominated for the J. Długosz Award (2022). Jenny Lindhe Jenny Lindhe works as an artist and curator, graduate of the School of Photography, Gothenburg University. Heads the exhibition department of Landskrona Art Hall & Museum / Landskrona Photo. She is also the founder and organizer of the Landskrona Foto & Breadfield Dummy Award and publisher of Breadfield Press. Wiktoria Michalkiewicz Dr Wiktoria Michałkiewicz is an interdisciplinary specialist with a deep passion for stories, talent management, journalism and photography. Operating from multiple global hubs in Warsaw (Poland), Stockholm (Sweden) and Lisbon (Portugal), Dr. Michałkiewicz bridges cultures and perspectives, connecting artists with opportunities around the world. Dr. Michałkiewicz was instrumental in the expansion of Fotografiska Stockholm to Tallinn and New York as part of Fotografiska International. Arianna Rinaldo Arianna Rinaldo is a freelance professional who works with photography in a wide range. From 2012 to 2021 he was artistic director of Cortona On The Move, international festival of visual narrative. Since 2016 she has been curator of photography at PhEST, a photography and contemporary arts festival in Puglia. He is on the selection committee of various institutions, including the Leica Oskar Barnack Award, the British Photography Journal "Ones to Watch" and the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Award. Marta Szymanska Marta Szymanska is a photography curator from Poland. She co-founded Fotofestiwal - the International Photography Festival in Lodz in 2005 and is a member of the curatorial team responsible for the festival program. He was deputy director of the Foundation for the Archeology of Photography, which deals with the preservation, development and promotion of archives of Polish photographers. Her curatorial experience also includes cooperation with the Lodz Art Museum, Poland; Photography Month in Minsk, Belarus; CinEast Central and Eastern Film Festival in Luxembourg and others. István Virágvölgyi Since 2014 he has been working as a curator of the Robert Capa Center for Contemporary Photography, and since 2023 he is also the artistic director; is secretary of the Capa Ungaria Grand Prize and editor of the Weekly Fortepan blog. Since 2016 he has been a cultural adviser of the Archiabe of Pannonhalma, since 2018 volunteer editor of the digital photo archive Fortepan, since 2021 member of the board of directors of the József Pécsi Photography Scholarship for young artists. Jessica Williams Jessica Williams is a conceptual artist, curator, editor and educator whose vast practice is based on the act of seeing. Her works, often collective and collaborative, address uncomfortable and complex themes that affect us all, including belonging and the climate crisis. Publishing, photography, text and new media are often combined to produce intimate, layered and visceral works of art. — The project does not necessarily represent the position of the National Cultural Fund Administration. AFCN is not responsible for the content of the project or how the results of the project may be used. These are entirely the responsibility of the beneficiary of the funding. Cultural project co-financed by the Administration of the National Cultural Fund.