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Masha Wysocka

You Are Our Only True Link With the Free World, 2025–

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In my work I draw on the archives of Radio Free Europe (RFE), which was supervised and financed by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from 1949 to 1971. RFE was historically the United States’ most successful propaganda instrument in Europe during the Cold War. “You are our only true link with the free world” is a phrase from a letter reportedly sent from communist Poland to RFE in the 1950s. Now RFE is facing closure following an order signed by American President Donald Trump on March 14, 2025. 

RFE’s Public Affairs Department used photography for propaganda and documentation. Due to the secrecy surrounding radio activities and the remote border areas where some RFE operations occurred, only a select few were able to witness these events firsthand. As a result, photographs were created to bridge this gap. As the US increasingly diverges politically from Europe today, I aim to offer new perspectives on RFE photographs and archival materials, especially those produced for the famous fundraising campaign “Crusade for Europe” (1950–1960). 

Biography

Masha Wysocka, b. 1984 in Brest (USSR); lives and works in Brussels (BE), Barcelona (ES), and Budapest (HU). After studying photography at the London College of Communication (UAL), she continued her artistic practice by working on projects with cultural and scientific institutions across Europe. Her work has been exhibited at ScanTarragona (ES) in 2022, Circulation(s) (FR) in 2024, and Les Boutographies (FR) in 2025. She is a member of Archivo Platform (GB/PT).