Iris Maria Tusa
Iris Maria Tusa specializes in long-term photographic projects that interrogate dominant historical narratives and over alternative, imaginative interpretations of reality. Her work explores communities and their interactions, delving into the barriers and connections between people, places, personal memories, and ways of perceiving.
Born in Bucharest, Iris initially trained as a researcher and completed a Ph.D. in biology. She coordinates the Arctic and Antarctic Research Department at the National Institute of Research and Development for Biological Sciences in Bucharest.
As a biologist by education, I started looking at the invisible life. I understood how the application of mirrors and lenses in technology could reveal aspects that are sometimes overlooked, although they are visible. The camera became an intrinsic part of mine in my work and personal travels around the world.
As I evolved as a photographer, I operated with new visual languages to reveal layers of meaning and emotional range by being more attentive to aspects like light, texture, color, shapes, and rhythm.
As part of four Antarctic research expeditions, Iris focused on photography, capturing the life and work of research teams. She published two photo books: "Antarctica: A Place Beyond Time" (2017) and "My Antarctic Journal" (2019).
With a lifelong passion for the arts, Iris decided to specialize in photography in 2016, completing the Francisc Mraz Photography School. She participated in numerous photography workshops, collective exhibitions, and various collectives, focusing her work on communities and the stories of people, intertwined with her childhood memories. In 2017, she began working on her book "Childhood Memories," documenting villages in Dobrogea, where she grew up. This book, featuring photographs taken over six years, was published in a limited edition of 100 copies and sold at the presitigious Carturesti bookstores in Romania and the Dominican Bookstore in Maastricht, Holland.
In 2022, Iris pursued an MA in Photography at Falmouth University, UK, graduating with distinction in 2024. During this period, she refined her project development skills and held her first solo exhibition. Her project "Thresholds" encapsulates the emotions of her childhood memories, transforming them into meaningful images. The project encourages viewers to see beyond mere personages living in a deprived socio-economic context, instead finding relatable dimensions in the reframed memories.
"Thresholds" was exhibited in March 2024 at the Ion Jalea Art Museum in Constanta and will be further edited into a book.
Curriculum vitae open
