A photographer who came to the UK as a construction worker has had his work showcasing Paralympic champions exhibited at London’s Romanian Cultural Institute.
Beyond Limits: A Celebration of Paralympic Excellence on Tuesday, October 22 saw Alexandru Radu Popescu displaying British and Romanian Paralympians in photographs which pair their iris with half of the protagonist’s face.
The exhibition at the institute, which is part of the Romanian Embassy in the United Kingdom, was the latest part of a remarkable rise from humble beginnings for Popescu as well.
Popescu said: “When I first came to this country, the only job I could find was in construction work.
“But I slowly worked my way up from there and managed to turn my passion of photography into my main source of income, with several regular exhibitions in both Romania and the UK and having been a photographer for London Fashion Week.”
Popescu, who was born in Romania in 1986 and moved to the UK 10 years ago, began his Beyond Limits artistic initiative in 2020.
He focused on creating expressive portraits and unique details of the human iris, which were captured using a specially created Japanese prototype lens which is not commercially available.
The juxtaposition of the subject’s iris and portrait is designed to create striking, original artwork which delves beyond physical triumphs and celebrates the individuality, inner strength and inherent worth of each Paralympian.
The event was organised in collaboration with the British and Romanian Paralympic Committees, with five Paralympic champions from each nation in attendance along with Laura Popescu, Romania’s ambassador to the UK.
Popescu said: “My first foray into the field was with professional footballers, but they were not particularly interested in my idea of a photography exhibition.
“As my initial idea fell on deaf ears, I reoriented myself towards the Paralympic champions, who proved much more pliable.”
Popescu studied photography at the London College of Contemporary Arts and Morley College and is a member of the Royal Photographic Society and the Association of Photographers.
He has exhibited in London and Bucharest, and has been recognised by 35AWARDS in drone photography (2021) and a place the Top 70 photographers in the United Kingdom (2024).
