Alina Popa studied finance and economics at the Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest/Romania (2000–2004) and painting at the Hungarian University of Fine Arts in Bucharest (2003–2007), where she finished her studies with a master’s degree in cinematography/photography (2007–2009).
She was co-founder of the Bureau of Melodramatic Research (BMR) in 2009 and is currently problematizing the affective component of politics, the emotional component of labor and the current normative neuro-choreographies. Since 2010 she has been researching the ideological ties of mountaineering and nationalism, both in Romania and Switzerland. In 2012 she started being interested in what is not interesting for the eyes, what escapes the generalized spectacle and started developing concepts and practices like biosorcery, secondbody, nonvisual monsters with Florin Flueras.
Alina Popa participated in exhibitions and events such as the Vienna Art Week (2009), the CNDB Bucharest (2010), the KSA:K Chișinău/Moldova (2008 and 2010), the Centre for Visual Introspection in Bucharest (2011), Interflugs at the Academy of Arts in Berlin/Germany (2011), Perla Mode in Zurich/Switzerland (2011), Salonul de Proiecte in Bucharest (2012), Dramatikkenshus in Oslo/Norway (2012), Center for Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle in Warsaw/Poland (2011 and 2012), Jardim Equatorial in São Paulo/Brazil (2012), and the cda-projects in Istanbul/Turkey (2013).
She is currently involved in projects like The Bureau of Melodramatic Research, Biosorcery, Presidential Candidacy, Bezna zine, Robin Hood Fund and ArtLeaks.