Exhibition opening

“Holidays and people from 2 Mai: photographic dialogues across time” is an exhibition that features photographs taken by Adrian Maftei (father) and Alexandru Maftei (son) in the village of 2 Mai, from the late 1970s to the 2000s, enlarged from film using classic techniques, on Ilford black and white and Kodak color paper. It is a visual reconstruction of the spirit of the place through its people, tourists, and locals, a sentimental evocation of a sustainable and charming seasonal community. The photographs are exhibited in the courtyard of Coana Leana, a hostess known to the people of 2 Mai throughout the ages.

At the opening, Alex Tocilescu, curator Iuliana Dumitru, and Alexandru Maftei spoke about the former 2 Mai in front of a large audience of tourists and locals alike. The event was organized as part of the fifth edition of the ȘI Festival (July 19-26, 2025).

Some of the photographs in this exhibition appeared in the photography magazine Punctum no. 3, edited by Cosmin Bumbuț and Elena Stancu (2010) under the title “My Beloved 2 Mai” and in the group exhibition “From Near to Far: Visual Cartographies of the Spaces of 2 Mai and Vama Veche,” curated by Iuliana Dumitru and organized by the Tranzit.ro Association at the Museum of the Romanian Peasant (2020).