Visual Arts

Starting May 7, 2026, the Media Foyer of the NTB (Grand Hotel wing) will host “Romania in Watercolor 4”—the fourth national watercolor painting exhibition, organized by the Association of Watercolor Painters of Romania (A.P.A. – IWS Romania). The first three editions were also held in the NTB’s exhibition spaces, in 2019, 2021, and 2024. Over 75 works by 70 watercolor artists will be on display. The exhibition opening will take place on May 7, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. A demonstration will take place during the opening: watercolor artists Ovidiu Iovănel, president of the A.P.A., and Gabriel Andrei, vice president of the A.P.A., will collaborate on a watercolor painting. The “International Watercolor Society Globe Art Network” (IWS) is a nonprofit organization founded in 2012 by Atanur Dogan, a Turkish artist residing in Canada, and has been active in Romania since 2016. In 2018, IWS Romania acquired legal status under the name “Association of Watercolor Painters of Romania” (A.P.A.), chaired by artist and architect Ovidiu Iovănel.  The association was founded with the aim of promoting the world’s oldest painting technique, watercolor. We quote from the A.P.A.’s “Mission Statement”:  “Our goal is to promote respect, peace, and harmony through the use of art—the common language of the entire world. Our activities involve bringing together watercolor painters and art lovers, particularly those who appreciate watercolor. Watercolor painting has long been neglected and even despised, to the detriment of other techniques. To bring watercolor art to the forefront, as we grow, we promote and popularize watercolor painting in every country. (…) We have undertaken a monumental task, and success is possible only if we work together. So far, we have succeeded. Thus, in our group in Romania there are over 100 artists, some well-known and others less so, professionals and amateurs alike. We show respect, practice courtesy and diplomacy at all times, listen to one another, are open to new ideas, and welcome innovation.” The exhibition will be open until the end of May 2026 and can be visited daily from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.   Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu 

Starting on April 2, 2026, the 1001 Arte* Association presents the group exhibition The Social Hierarchy of Protocol Photons at the "I.L. Caragiale" National Theater in Bucharest. Under the coordination of curator Cristian Cojanu and assistant curator Victor Briceag, supported by associate curator Gilda Ghinoiu, the project brings together 25 contemporary artists under a title that questions the new caste systems generated by the attention economy and social media algorithms.  The opening is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. in the Media Foyer (the wing facing the Grand Hotel) of the “I.L. Caragiale” National Theater, and the exhibition will be open to the public until April 30, 2026. The project, developed in collaboration with the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Bucharest, uses light not as a universal natural phenomenon or pictorial resource, but as a carefully regulated instrument of social stratification. In this conceptual universe, the “protocol photon” represents the unit of measurement for digital success: an artificial light, the showcase light of digital marketing, directed by algorithms, which validates the existence of some individuals while condemning others to an invisible digital periphery. The project explores the transformation of intimacy into a marketing product and the constant pressure to self-promote in an oversaturated public space. Social media reminds us every day that the idea of humanity—as a unified species encompassing all forms of human life without distinction—is a late and fragile development in the history of culture. For a long time, a person was simply a member of their tribe, “the good one” or “the excellent one,” while the stranger was viewed as a “ghost,” born from flea eggs, a non-human entity. Social media algorithms have revived this archaic tribalism. They segment us into bubbles of conformity where visibility is granted only to those who resemble us. In “The Social Hierarchy of Protocol Photons,” the artists analyze this new mechanism of exclusion: how technology, instead of uniting us under a single species, separates us into hierarchies of validated “users” and “invisible” ones condemned to digital irrelevance. In a landscape dominated by digital marketing and data streams optimized for speed and instinctive reaction, the works in this exhibition function as zones of disruption. If social media platforms are built to generate echoes—spaces where we see only what confirms our biases—the art presented here replaces the (repetitive) digital echo with (profound) human resonance. The works become acts of resistance against the tyranny of technology, offering a visual experience that cannot be reduced to a mere performance metric or a quick “like” reaction. The exhibition is an invitation to look beyond screens and rediscover that light which is measured not in pixels, but in presence. It is a manifesto for reclaiming authentic presence in a world that wants to turn us into mere sets of metadata. Exhibiting artists: BenTereZ, Beaver, Ana Bănică, Radu Carp, B.Adrian Ciupa, Bogdana Contraș, Andreea Foreanu, Cristina Garabețeanu, Adelina Gavrilă, Andra Georgescu, Andreea Greenhalgh, Danny Greenhalgh, Antonia Ionescu, Bianca Ioniță, Liviu Mihai, Lucian Szekely-Rafan, Alexandru Ranga, Ana Șpeu, Evangelia Taka, Irina Tănase, Daniela Vîrlan, Mihai Voicu, Andreea Zimbru, Florin Zhu. *With 10 years of experience and over 100 exhibitions held both at our own gallery at 5 Amzei Street—which relocated after operating for six years on Calea Victoriei—as well as at the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Cărturești Carusel Art Space, ARCUB, and other galleries, 1001 Arte is a nonprofit association dedicated to promoting Romanian contemporary art. Our three exhibitions in Paris attracted over 20,000 visitors. Over 100 young artists have benefited from our support and mentorship programs, 40 of whom have become collaborators of the association. Of the more than 150,000 visitors to our exhibitions, we estimate that over 15,000 children have discovered contemporary art by stepping through our doors.   Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu 

A new exhibition at TNB, as part of the TNB.edu program: Ordinary Objects in Extraordinary Visions From March 23 to 29, 2026, the “I.L. Caragiale” National Theater in Bucharest will host, in the Media Foyer (the wing facing Tudor Arghezi Street), the exhibition “Ordinary Objects in Extraordinary Visions,” organized in partnership with Bucharest Secondary School No. 79. The exhibition project “Ordinary Objects in Extraordinary Visions” is an extracurricular activity coordinated by teacher Valentin Teodorescu, which builds on the work begun in art classes, showcasing the students’ artwork and talent beyond the conventional school setting. The exhibition’s concept is rooted in Cubist principles, exploring the fragmentation of form, the multiplication of perspectives, and the reconstruction of reality through an expressive visual language. Seventh- and eighth-grade students developed this approach through works created using graphic techniques, painting, and collage, deconstructing everyday objects and recomposing them into compositions that are either more concrete or oriented toward geometric and abstract structures. At the same time, fifth-grade students experimented with an aerial perspective of a table with various objects, focusing particularly on creating chromatic harmonies and the balanced organization of the pictorial space. The entire project highlights the students’ ability to transform everyday life into an exercise in visual exploration, artistic sensitivity, and compositional coherence. Admission is free, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.   Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu 

  The exhibition opening will take place in the Media Foyer of the NTB (wing facing the Grand Hotel) on Friday, March 6, 2026, at 6 p.m. Stefania Micsunescu works in the fashion industry. After a day's work, she comes home to a canvas and her paints. There, on the white canvas, the artist's inner world can be unleashed without restraint—intense, warm, vibrant. "... since I was little, I have enjoyed drawing, painting, and creating fashion sketches. I attended the Faculty of Decorative Arts and Design, specializing in fashion. Painting has remained a passion that I pursue in various ways almost daily with great enthusiasm. For me, painting is a form of expression, relaxation, and a way to recharge myself with beautiful things." Fields of irises pulsing under the light, forests filtered through pink and purple, red flowers becoming birds with wings spread in the air, sunflower petals gathered on a golden background—all transform reality into a state of being. Nature is not rendered, but traversed, felt, translated. The colors are firm, assertive, their energy not timid, but declarative. But her garden is not just an explosion of color. There are also tall trees, almost mineralized, with branches like exposed veins, with trunks cracked by time. In these works, the chromaticity retreats towards firm contours, towards dense grays and whites. If in some canvases color sings, here matter breathes. Trained in fashion design, Stefania brings a rigorous sense of composition and balance to her painting, and the space takes on a theatrical tension. Nothing is random—every line supports an interior architecture. A luminous ether surrounds places and beings; the skies are azure, almost within reach, so there is no distance or coldness. The landscape does not recede, but envelops us. Contours break down into geometric shapes, the horizon becomes crisscrossed with bars, and pigeons tear the heavy chains from our souls. A poem of liberation runs through these powerful yet sensitive, vulnerable images. A force of fragility is the paradox that defines the artist. Her paintings offer us not only places, but also beings that take us out of our role as spectators. Her characters, whether animals, plants, birds in flight, or trees frozen in an almost human gesture, are not mere decorative presences. We are being watched, and in that silent exchange, emotion is born. Whether it bursts into bright red or concentrates in tense grays, each work seems to say the same thing: life is not dull. Life is intense. At the National Theater, a space for expression and emotion, these works become the stage for a different kind of performance—that of the inner self. The Garden of Glances is, in essence, an invitation: to slow down, to feel, and to have the courage to be seen. (text by Alexandru Stanescu). The exhibition remains open until March 28 and can be visited daily between 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.   Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu 

As a post-mortem tribute on the 90th anniversary of the birth of George Motoi (January 22, 1936 – March 4, 2015), one of the actors of the "golden generation" of the Romanian stage, the "I.L. Caragiale" National Theater—where he was an actor for almost five decades—is hosting, starting February 18, 2026, an exhibition of representative photographs from the beloved actor's long theater and film career. The exhibition opening will take place on Wednesday, February 24, 2026, at 7 p.m., in the Media Foyer (wing facing Tudor Arghezi Street). Host: actor Alexandru Repan. The exhibition can be visited daily between 11:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. George Motoi made his stage debut in 1958, after graduating from the Bucharest Institute of Theater and Cinematographic Art, where he studied under Irina Rachiteanu.  His success in theater and film is linked to two great directors: Vlad Mugur and Malvina Ursianu. His noble, aristocratic presence, but above all the depth of his acting, propelled him into memorable roles. He performed on the stages of the theaters in Piatra Neamt (1958-1960), Bacau (1960-1964), Cluj (1964-1970) – under the guidance of director Vlad Mugur, and, from 1970, at the "I.L. Caragiale" National Theater in Bucharest. His career at the NTB was facilitated by his resounding success in the role of Caligula (played at the National Theater in Cluj), after which he was invited by Radu Beligan to join the troupe. Among the most important roles and performances in which he appeared on the NTB stage are: The Mute man in "The Clown Arrives on Time" by Fanus Neagu, Vlaicu Voda in the play of the same name by Alexandru Davila, Despot Voda in Vasile Alecsandri's drama, Richard III in William Shakespeare's play, as well as dozens of other roles in landmark NTB performances, such as "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" by Ken Kesey, "The Name of the Rose" by Umberto Eco, and "The Sacrificial Generation" by I. Valjan. He played over 45 leading roles in films, collaborating regularly with director Malvina Ursianu. One of his most beloved roles is that of Voda Lapusneanu in the film of the same name (“Roles like these come along in an actor's career maybe two or three times, [....], because the role of Lapusneanu in this film is in no way inferior to Shakespeare's Hamlet, for example, or Camus' Caligula." - George Motoi, "Under the Actor's Mask"). George Motoi did not limit himself to acting, but also wrote and directed plays (debuting in 1967), taught acting, published a volume of essays entitled "Under the Actor's Mask", (1989), the book "New Stage Versions of Old Plays" (2010), and a volume of theatrical essays entitled "The Theater's Rendezvous with Life". He passed away at the age of 79, leaving behind many fond memories and the example of a life lived with professionalism, modesty, and dignity.   Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu 

We invite you to step into the exhibition Between Worlds, an experiment by professors from the Fashion Design Department at the National University of Arts in Bucharest. Curator: prof. Unda Popp, PhD. The opening will take place on Friday, December 19, 2025, at 1:00 p.m., at the National Theater Bucharest, in the Rotunda of the Small Hall. The event will be opened by Prof. Cristian Velescu, PhD, and Assoc. Prof. Cornel Moraru, PhD. The exhibition will be open until January 31, 2026. Visiting hours are daily from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., except on public holidays.   Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu 

An exhibition about invisible bonds, collective memory, and interdisciplinary creationDecember 5–12, 2025 | Rotonda HallOpening: December 5th, 7 p.m. The Alt Real Association is organizing between December 5 and 12, 2025, at the Rotonda Hall of the "I.L. Caragiale" National Theater in Bucharest, the exhibition Natural Bond 1–5. Retrospective (2021–2025). This exhibition brings together for the first time the archive of the five editions of the Natural Bond program—one of the most active interdisciplinary creative laboratories in nature in Romania. The opening will take place on December 5, at 7:00 p.m., in the presence of Dan Perjovschi. Lia and Dan Perjovschi were the mentors of editions 4 and 5. Developed within the framework of Vadoo Fest, Natural Bond has become, over the past five years, a space for artistic research, in which over 60 artists from theater, dance, music, film, and visual arts have explored the relationship between art, nature, and community. The program has generated installations, performances, conceptual works, and video art—the results of a continuous process of observation, dialogue, and experimentation. The five editions of Natural Bond are presented chronologically, from the first intuitive explorations to complex forms of co-creation, in a visual and emotional mapping of a community in the making. The public is invited to discover photographs, video projections, and interactive installations that recompose collective experiences lived on the border between art and life and to engage in dialogue with the artists at the opening on December 5 and during guided tours. "Apart from the ecological feeling, we want to put their minds to work — generally about humanity. It's active viewing. It stirs you up," Dan Perjovschi, Natural Bond mentor. A special section is dedicated to Vadoo Exhibits, an Alt Real program held during Vadoo Fest 2025, where 12 visual artists created visual works on site during the festival, inspired by space and community. Natural Bond 1–5. Retrospective (2021–2025) documents searches, states, temporary communities, and forms of co-creation born without scripts, in direct dialogue with nature. The exhibition proposes a reflection on how art, process, and community can generate authentic connections in a culture dominated by speed and fragmentation. You are invited to discover works by artists: Dan Perjovschi, Lia Perjovschi, Andrei Alexandru Radu, Manuela Zvac, Mihaela Lungu, Oana Toderica, Mihai Tranca, Adi Bulboaca, Razvan Valentin Ciobanescu, Diana Munteanu, Catalin Asanache, Raluca Alexandrescu, Andreea Lucaci, Mara Carutasu, Vlad Benescu, Anastasia Apetrei, Minodora Lungu, Ana Maria Craciun, Ciprian Mihaila Leotescu, Corina Ciontu, Horia Suru, Mihai Tudorache, Raisa Ane, Rares Florin Stoica, Petre Ancuta, Constantin Axinte Amza, Florin Calbajos, Fulvia Folosea, Ciprian Nicula, Bianca Temneanu, Lavinia Pele, Yannick Bekker, Momo Sanno, Irina Sanno, Ana Negoita, Lucian Maxim, Teo Mihalache, Gordana Mihailov, Alec Secareanu, Andrada Pavel, Bogdan Maraloiu, Paula Rotar, Emanuel Cifor, Irina Sibef, Ioan Paraschiv, Cristina Gavrus, Niko Becker, Oana Laura Gabriela, Roberta Roata, Simona Baciu, Dan Ursu, Mara Rosioru, Vladimir Silviu, Eduard Vinersar, Raluca Mitarca, Timeea Zanfir, Tiberius Ciucinciu, Maria Berca, Alina Usurelu, Bianca Anton, Beatrice Arzoiu, Laura Tartau, Nicoleta Vlad, Marian Stoian Admission is free to the public. ProgramOpening: December 5th, 7 p.m.Open for visitation: December 6-12, 2025, between 12:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.Guided tours: December 6–12, 4:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.Venue: NTB – Rotonda HallOrganizer: Alt Real AssociationPartners: Bucharest National Theater, UNATC, IPP Group, Magnum Expert BuildingSponsors: Dimitrie Brandza Botanical Garden, Bucharest, Velo Winery, University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Curatorial textAlt Real presents: Natural Bond 1–5. Retrospective (2021–2025)An exhibition about invisible bonds, presence, and co-creation.About natural bonds Over the past five years, Natural Bond has become one of Romania's most vibrant interdisciplinary creative laboratories. In the middle of the forests of Vadu Oii, over sixty artists—actors, musicians, choreographers, visual artists, photographers, directors, performers—have explored a common question: How can natural connections be built in a world that is accelerating artificially? Natural Bond is not a workshop. It is neither a residency nor a camp. It is a space for artistic coexistence, where nature becomes a mentor, a backdrop, and a creative partner. Some of the works created here are ephemeral, designed to live only as long as a trace in moss or a ray of light among the trees. Other works continue to transform, to be recreated, reinterpreted. Natural Bond 1–5. Retrospective (2021–2025) brings to the National Theater Bucharest a living archive of this ongoing process: images, sounds, traces, and fragments of thought. This retrospective brings together for the first time the five editions of the laboratory in a visual and emotional mapping of a community in the making. The five editions of Natural Bond are presented chronologically, from the first intuitive explorations to increasingly clear forms of artistic research, from simple rituals in the forest to complex installations and collective performances. Each year has generated new modes of expression, new connections, new ways of seeing. Alt Real developed this program as part of Vadoo Fest, an annual cultural festival organized by the association, which combines live music, contemporary art, and nature in a space for creation and reconnection. A special section is dedicated to Vadoo Exhibits, an Alt Real program held as part of Vadoo Fest 2025, where 12 visual artists created visual works on site during the festival, inspired by space and community. Together, these programs show how Alt Real has built, over time, an interdisciplinary ecosystem in which nature, art, and community become equal elements of the same process. Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu 

30 young musicians and visual artists put on an interdisciplinary performance at the National Theater of Bucharest, the result of a year of support, mentoring, creation, and performance in the national Young Talents program. • Her Royal Highness Princess Sofia awarded scholarships for artistic achievements in the visual arts and classical music November 25, 2025: The 2025 Young Talents Gala, an interdisciplinary performance by the scholarship awardees of the Margareta of Romania Royal Foundation, took place in the Pictura Hall of the I.L. Caragiale National Theater in Bucharest (TNB), in the presence of Her Royal Highness Princess Sofia. The 17th generation of talented young people, 15 musicians and 15 visual artists, offered the audience a classical music recital and an extensive visual art exhibition with works created during the scholarship year. Sponsors, partners, donors, and supporters of young artists had the opportunity to discover the artistic personality of each participant and fully understand the value of their investment in the new generation of creators. In 2025, the Young Talents project - Kaufland Romania & the Royal Foundation - received the GOLD award in the Art & Culture category of the Community Index, the most comprehensive assessment of community investment and CSR projects in Romania. The visual art exhibition in the Media foyer of the NTB (Grand Hotel wing) complemented the artistic moment in the hall. It includes relevant works from the individual projects of the scholarship recipients, created with materials purchased from the scholarship, as well as selections of works from joint projects: the exhibitions Life Journal and Passions and Concerns of the Members of the Royal Family, coordinated by mentor Associate Professor Ion Anghel, PhD. The techniques used range from clothing transposition, mezzotint, analog photography, digital animation, digital drawing, to mixed techniques, assemblage, or acrylics. The exhibition will remain open to the public until December 20, 2025, and admission is free.   Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu 

Starting November 25, 2025, the foyer of the Atelier Hall will host a Visual Journey Through the History of NTB, in the form of 30 panels with photographs from the National Theater's performances, photographs from the National Theater Library's collection, scanned by the Digital Heritage Department of the National Heritage Institute. The exhibits were created as part of the project "STAR - From the State Theater to the Independent Stage. The Digital Repertoire of Theater Premieres in Romania," co-financed by AFCN in session II/2025, in which the National Theater is a partner. The STAR project is a welcome initiative aimed at documenting, digitizing and promoting the Romanian theatre repertoire. The photographs on display capture images from NTB performances between 1930 and 2000 and are displayed in chronological order, accompanied by informative labels. The exhibition will be open to all visitors attending performances scheduled at the NTB Atelier Hall or participating in guided tours of the theater over the coming months. The opening reception will take place on Tuesday, November 25, at 4 p.m., in the foyer of the Atelier Hall.   Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu

This year, the annual Young Artist Odyssey exhibition organized by the Odiseea Association for Education will be hosted in the exhibition spaces of the I.L. Caragiale National Theater in Bucharest, in the Tapestry foyer on the first floor of the Ion Caramitru Hall. Starting in November 2025, spectators attending theater performances scheduled in the Ion Caramitru Hall of the National Theater of Bucharest will also have the opportunity to visit an extensive exhibition of paintings, drawings, and collages displayed on 39 easels located in the foyer on the first floor of the Ion Caramitru Hall, the Tapestry foyer: this is the exhibition of the winners of the national competition "Young Artist Odyssey , 6th edition, 2025," a competition that this year had a challenging theme for young artists between the ages of 10 and 14 and 10 and 18, respectively: "Be the Vincent Van Gogh of the 21st Century"! The exhibition will be open until the end of January 2026.   Translated by Andreea Codrea-Boeriu