The photography exhibition “From the Mine to the Light” brings to visitors the hidden underground reality of mining in the Jiu Valley. Created in the depths of the Livezeni and Vulcan coal mines, this series of images captures not only the harsh working conditions but also the faces of those who spend their “days without sun and nights without stars.” The photographs document a universe often invisible to those above ground – a space where darkness and physical effort intertwine with solidarity, dignity, and courage. “From the Mine to the Light” is not just a visual exercise, but also a testimony of the final years of mining in the Jiu Valley, of the identity of a region, and of the collective memory that this heritage leaves to future generations. The exhibition can be visited permanently at the Petrila Cultural Exploitation (Petrila former mine), a symbolic place for the transformation of a former mining site into a cultural and reflective space.

The artistic park on Planet Petrila, created by Ion Barbu within the Petrila Cultural Exploitation, is a unique visual universe where the former mine becomes a stage for imagination and memory. His installations transform industrial spaces into characters and symbols, shaping a playful and reflective environment in which art reclaims the past and rewrites it with humor, color, and boldness. It is an invitation to explore, dream, and reconnect with the identity of the place.

Petrila Cultural Exploitation (located within the former Petrila Mine) is a unique artistic and community space, initiated through a project by artist Ion Barbu and given back to the community under the administration of the Hunedoara County Council. It transforms the former mining site into a place of memory, creativity, and cultural regeneration. Through visual interventions, installations, events, and exhibitions, the site has become a symbol of post-industrial reconversion and local identity, keeping the mining history of the Jiu Valley alive in a creative and accessible form.

The Mining Rescuer Museum, set up within the Petrila Cultural Exploitation by former miner and rescuer Cătălin Cenușă, is a memorial space dedicated to the courage and dedication of mining rescuers—those who stepped in during moments of crisis, risking their lives to protect others. Housed in a former mine rescue station, the museum preserves equipment, uniforms, photographs, and testimonies that evoke rescue missions and the deep solidarity forged underground. It is a place of gratitude and collective memory, where the quiet heroism of the mining community is brought to light and honored.

“The Jiu Valley — Then and Now”, organized by Kandila through the EU Teens for Green program, is a participatory exhibition exploring the social, cultural, and ecological transformations of the region. Through archival photographs, local testimonies, artistic interventions, and contemporary creations, young people from the community rediscover the industrial past of the Jiu Valley and place it in dialogue with present-day challenges and hopes. It is an initiative that encourages reflection, civic engagement, and reconnection with local identity — a bridge between generations, between memory and a sustainable future.

Charcoal Strokes brings together over 200 pencil and charcoal drawings, each bearing the imprint of a personal journey and a healing through art. A self-taught and sensitive artist, Hajni transforms charcoal—a symbol of the Jiu Valley’s industrial past—into a poetic tool of expression. Her works range from introspective portraits and mountain landscapes to compositions with motivational messages, all reflecting a rare blend of technical finesse and emotional depth. This exhibition is not merely an artistic exploration, but a bridge between memory and renewal, between fragility and strength. With every stroke, Hajni Hirt invites us to see charcoal not as a relic, but as a source of inner light.

In the heart of the former Petrila mining site, Dr. Eng. Benor Dorelian Voicescu presents a documentary-style exhibition that reconstructs, with precision and sensitivity, essential fragments of mining history in the Jiu Valley. “Memory and Mine” is more than a collection of photographs and artifacts—it is a heartfelt plea to preserve the dignity of underground labor and to honor the human value behind the industry. The exhibition features rare images from Voicescu’s personal archive, capturing moments from miners’ lives, equipment, underground galleries, and memorable encounters with cultural and scientific figures who visited the mine during his leadership. Each frame is accompanied by technical notes and anecdotes that bring the past to life, turning the exhibition space into a site of intergenerational dialogue.