DATE: 2009-2010

LOCATION: Bucharest / Paris

ROLE: Co-creator & Heritage Research Partner

PARTNERS & INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT: French Embassy in Romania / Romanian Ministry of Culture / Romanian Cultural Institut in Paris / Kalinderu Museum in Bucharest

TOPICS: Heritage research & documentation / Artistic interpretation / Public engagement / Local identity & sense of place / Heritage valorisation / Cross-cultural cooperation

Developed in 2009–2010, ‘Bucarest, la mal-aimée’ was an initiative of the French Ambassador to Romania, bringing contemporary attention to the condition of Bucharest’s architectural heritage.

Hosted by the Ion and Dr. Nicolai Kalinderu Museum in 2009, the exhibition raised public awareness of the city’s architectural decline and explored the relationship between urban identity, cultural heritage and urban transformation. In 2010, it travelled to Paris and was presented at the Romanian Cultural Institute.

The project was developed as a collaboration between a group of photographers and CASE CARE PLÂNG / Rhabillage Association, combining artistic perspectives with the project’s heritage research and documentation. Rhabillage’s participation was supported by the Romanian Ministry of Culture. French photographer and curator Ferrante Ferranti worked alongside Romanian photographers and the CASE CARE PLÂNG photography team.

Combining research, photography and artistic interpretation, the project transformed evidence of endangered heritage into an accessible public narrative. A significant outcome was the temporary reactivation of the Kalinderu Museum, a heritage building that had remained closed and reopened specifically for the exhibition, reconnecting an otherwise inaccessible site with the city and its communities.