The Hidden Galleries research project examines the role of clandestine religions in the transformative processes of Central and Eastern European societies in the 20th century through the lenses of secret police archives in this region. The research re-examines and re-contextualizes the contents of the secret police archives in Romania, the Republic of Moldova, Hungary and Ukraine with the aim of drawing public attention to the alternative uses and meanings of the archives regarding the study of minority confessions.
The exhibition "FAITH. TRUST. CLANDESTINITY. Images from the files of the secret police" is the visual part of this extensive research project and presents the actions of the secret police against religion from a visual and cultural perspective. Bringing together the work of historians, anthropologists, curators and artists, the exhibition puts the visitor face to face with a difficult cultural heritage, consisting of images made or collected by the secret police from four countries: Romania, Hungary, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. Sometimes violent or indiscreet, sometimes personal or with documentary value, the materials of the secret police support various interpretations and uses. In short, the exhibition invites a reconsideration of the relationship with the recent past.
The exhibition was carried out by an international team of researchers under the coordination of the principal investigator, James Kapalo, a renowned researcher and university professor from the University of Cork, Ireland. The project's team of researchers consists of: Anca Sincan, Kinga Podevak, Agnes Hesz, Iuliana Cindrea, Tatiana Vagramenko, Dummitru Lisnic, Igor Casu Their efforts benefited from the support of curator Gabriela Nicolescu. Hidden Galleries is a project hosted by University College Cork and has been running for four years. Hidden Galleries was funded by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (no. 677355)
The project is part of the national cultural programme "Timișoara – European Capital of Culture in 2023" and is funded through the Grow Timișoara 2023 programme, implemented by the Center for Projects Timișoara, with funds allocated from the state budget, through the budget of the Ministry of Culture.