The Romanian Cultural Institute in Beijing, in partnership with Institut Français de Pékin, organizes a photography exhibition presented at the premises of the host institution from 21 March to 21 June 2026.
The exhibition brings together 17 photographs taken by the film director Andrei Dăscălescu during the filming of the documentary Planeta Petrila, selected for the international festival Rencontres des films francophones, held in China in March. Through a sensitive and carefully constructed visual approach, the images capture the human and poetic universe of the town of Petrila, revealing the tensions and beauty of a space situated between memory and transformation.
Planeta Petrila (Romania, 2016, 80 min) is a creative documentary directed by Andrei Dăscălescu, documenting the closure of the Petrila coal mine and the artistic and civic response of former miner and artist Ion Barbu, in the context of the disappearance of an entire industrial identity. The film is produced by Filmlab Romania, co-produced with HBO Europe, with the support of the National Film Center and the Romanian Cultural Institute, and distributed by Transilvania Film. It premiered at IDFA – International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (2016), won the Audience Award at Transilvania International Film Festival (TIFF 2017), the Black Sea Docs Award at Pelicam Film Festival 2017, and was selected at festivals such as DocsBarcelona, DOK.fest München and One World Human Rights Documentary Film Festival.
The exhibition is complemented by an art installation by Ion Barbu — a large-scale panoramic panel inspired by a sequence from the film. The work consists of a digital intervention on a monumental group photograph, in which the artist, together with a collaborator, inserts portraits of various personalities, creating a visual dialogue between past and present. The original photograph, acquired in China and offered to the artist by his son, Mihai Barbu, adds a symbolic dimension to the work, establishing a direct connection with the Chinese cultural space.
A visual artist, writer, and curator, Ion Barbu is one of the emblematic figures of the cultural revitalization of the Jiu Valley, known for his efforts to transform the town of Petrila into a space of contemporary creation. Through interdisciplinary projects combining visual art, urban intervention, and industrial memory, Barbu proposes a critical and poetic re-reading of post-industrial heritage, contributing to the redefinition of the cultural identity of a community in transition. His often collaborative artistic practice is distinguished by its ability to activate marginal spaces and to build bridges between local context and international artistic discourse.
The exhibition opening took place on 21 March 2026, at 19:30, in the presence of the director Andrei Dăscălescu and Mr. Stéphane Le Fur, Attaché for Educational Cooperation at the Embassy of France in China, as well as representatives of Institut Français de Pékin. The exhibition is open to the general public for three months, in the main hall of the Institut Français in Beijing. Admission is free during opening hours.
Andrei Dăscălescu is a Romanian director, producer, and professor, recognized for his significant contribution to the development of contemporary documentary cinema. A graduate of the National University of Theatre and Film in Bucharest, he has established himself through a distinctive style based on poetic observation, introspective reflection, and the exploration of the spiritual dimensions of everyday reality. In 2007, he founded the production company Filmlab, becoming a promoter of artistic independence and fully assumed cinematic creation. He is also the founder and director of the Piatra Film Festival, dedicated to discovering and supporting a new generation of filmmakers. His filmography includes landmark titles such as Constantin și Elena (2008), Planeta Petrila (2016), and Holy Father (2020), all noted for their humanistic depth and formal precision. His films have received awards at prestigious international festivals, including IDFA, Sarajevo Film Festival, and TIFF, confirming his status as a major author of European documentary cinema. Since 2015, he has continued his work as an educator and researcher, teaching documentary film at Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, where he contributes to shaping a new generation of visual non-fiction authors defined by artistic rigor, ethics, and cultural reflection.
