Conceptual nominee

Beyond Limits is a photographic series that explores identity, perception, and human resilience through detailed imagery of the iris of elite Paralympic athletes. The iris becomes a symbolic space — a visual fingerprint — representing inner vision, individuality, and strength beyond physical limitation.
The series features Alexandru Bologa, a blind Romanian Paralympic judo champion; Alexandru Benchea, a fully blind Romanian alpinist who has summited some of the world’s most demanding peaks; Jack Eyers, a British Paralympic canoeist and amputee; Emma Wiggs, MBE, multiple Paralympic gold medallist in paracanoe; and Hope Gordon, a British Paralympian whose athletic journey reflects adaptability and determination.
Each portrait is paired with an image of the subject’s iris, merging external identity with an intimate internal landscape. For athletes whose relationship with vision, balance, or physical wholeness has been altered, the iris becomes a powerful metaphor — not of limitation, but of perception, focus, and agency.
Beyond Limits invites the viewer to reconsider how strength, visibility, and identity are defined. Rather than documenting disability, the series celebrates human complexity, discipline, and the many ways in which individuals see and navigate the world.

Alexandru Radu Popescu is a Romanian-born fine art and documentary photographer based in London. His work explores identity, resilience, and perception, situated at the intersection of portraiture, conceptual photography, and socially engaged practice.
He is best known for UNIC, an ongoing photographic project that combines portraiture with detailed imagery of the human iris as a visual metaphor for individuality and inner identity. The project questions how we perceive others and ourselves, particularly when applied to subjects whose relationship with vision, ability, or visibility is complex or disrupted.
Alongside his conceptual practice, Popescu develops documentary and environmental work addressing human vulnerability and ecological trauma. His recent projects focus on landscapes affected by industrial damage and on Paralympic athletes from the UK and Romania, documenting strength, dignity, and adaptation beyond spectacle. This work has been presented internationally under the series Beyond Limits.
Popescu’s photographs have been exhibited in London and Bucharest. His practice is grounded in an ethical approach to authorship and collaboration, using camera-based imagery and post-production as a tool for refinement rather than alteration. Through his work, he aims to create images that invite reflection on perception, identity, and human resilience.