• International exhibitions: Dan Perjovschi x Comme des Garçons at Entrance Store, Simone Rocha x Aparterre at Teatrul Grivița 53
• Exhibition organized by FABER Timișoara cultural center, at Mezanin
• Andrei Tripșa presents the exhibition Desene animate din România at Grivița Creative Corner
• 6 art exhibitions, award-winning architecture, graphic design, product design, fashion projects at the DeGalben hub, in Piața Amzei

Bucharest, May 8, 2026 – Bucharest Design Festival, organized by THE INSTITUTE Foundation, announces the BDF Communities program, signed by Cartierul Creativ, in partnership with the Sector 1 City Hall and presented by Banca Transilvania. BDF Communities brings design where the city breathes, through urban acupuncture interventions and curated exhibitions in the Amzei, Grivița and Brezoianu areas. Since 2017, Cartierul Creativ has been promoting and developing the local creative scene through urban regeneration projects focused on certain areas of the Capital. Banca Transilvania has supported these initiatives of Cartierul Creativ, constantly investing in the activation of creative communities in Bucharest.

“For BT, supporting BDF Communities reflects the commitment to be close to local communities and initiatives that contribute to their long-term development. Through involvement in this format, Banca Transilvania supports the activation of the micro-areas of Cartierul Creativ (Grivița, Amzei and Brezoianu) through a sustained program of cultural, collaborative and interdisciplinary events, thus contributing to the revitalization of urban space and the consolidation of a vibrant community spirit.” Sergiu Mircea, Executive Director Marketing, Communication and Customer Experience @Banca Transilvania

This year’s program brings design into the 3 micro-areas of Cartierul Creativ (Amzei, Grivița and Brezoianu) through urban interventions and 15 curated exhibitions, through organizations, cultural institutions, universities, studios and artists.

“Creative communities are the most valuable asset of a city. They are not just groups of people with common interests – they are engines of urban change, capable of transforming a neighborhood, a street or an idea into a catalyst of energy and value for the entire city. Since 2017, we have been experimenting with this dynamic through the actions of Cartierul Creativ, and BDF Communities puts exactly this force in motion, through a route of urban interventions and 15 curated exhibitions in Amzei, Grivița and Brezoianu, organized and developed through the energy of over 50 collaborators. Together with Bucharest Design Festival, we want to show that design is not only made in studios, but is made on the street, together.” Ioana Pîrvu, Project Director Cartierul Creativ

More information about access to exhibitions and the visiting program is available on the website: https://www.institute.ro/bdf-communities

“Local public administration must be a real partner of the creative environment, by supporting initiatives that capitalize on the city’s identity and bring culture closer to the community. The partnership will bring exhibitions, installations and urban interventions into the public space, contributing to the revitalization of emblematic areas such as Calea Griviței, Piața Amzei or Palatul Universul, as well as facilitating free access for Sector 1 residents to cultural events. The development of a city is not limited to infrastructure, but also requires constant investment in culture and community. Creative industries represent an essential element for the identity and cultural future of Sector 1”, emphasized the Mayor of Sector 1, George – Cristian Tuță.

BDF Communities Program in Grivița Locations: National Museum of Romanian Literature (Calea Griviței 64-66), Teatrul Grivița 53, Grivița Creative Corner (Calea Griviței 35) Period: May 29 – June 21, 2026

Calea Griviței becomes, for four weekends, an active creative micro-area, with three exhibitions hosted in spaces with a strong identity and an urban animation program in the street.

At the National Museum of Romanian Literature, the Faculty of Arts and Design of the West University of Timișoara presents ALT+REALITY. The Concept Art Process between digital and three-dimensional, an interdisciplinary exhibition that highlights the process in the Concept Art industry, from sketch to digital illustration and three-dimensional transposition, bringing together works from the game art, graphic design and sculpture specializations.

At Teatrul Grivița 53, concept store Aparterre presents an exhibition dedicated to Irish designer Simone Rocha, known for the romantic aesthetic and gothic accents of her collections consistently presented at London Fashion Week. The exhibition brings one of the most relevant contemporary international fashion designers closer to the local public.

At Grivița Creative Corner (Calea Griviței 35), artist Andrei Tripșa presents Desene animate din România. A collection of visual stories inspired by the contemporary Romanian imaginary, built in an ironic and familiar register, at the intersection of local humor and pop culture.

Phenomena Laboratory opens its new headquarters on Calea Griviței 78A, a building designed by architect Dorin Ștefan, located within the perimeter of the Grivița micro-area, and presents the concept feelings 0526: ma – liminal space, a spatial reinterpretation between historical value and contemporary intervention, in which volume, light and journey build a dialogue between layers of time.

BDF Communities Program in Amzei Location: deGalben Building, Piața Amzei Period: May 28 – June 21, 2026

In the deGalben building in Piața Amzei, reopened as a cultural space by the Sector 1 City Hall, BDF brings 6 exhibitions developed in partnership with relevant studios, associations and institutions from the creative industries:

Local Design Circle presents Local Design Awards 2025, a traveling exhibition of the first national graphic design competition in Romania, structured around the categories Book Design, Poster Design and Young. Over 100 submitted projects, 30+ nominations selected by an international jury from Scotland, Greece and Germany and a clear mission: to put Romanian graphic design on the international map.

The National Heritage Institute presents the installation Brâncuși and the Muses of Dance, which highlights a lesser-known side of Brâncuși’s creation: the collaboration and friendship of the great sculptor with the avant-garde dancer Lizica Codreanu. The central element of the exhibition is the costume recreated from photographs taken by Brâncuși in his studio.

Cluster B21, a network of 10 creative, civic and private organizations, presents Suntem B21, a project about nature, spaces and communities as pillars of urban transformation, through co-creation, participatory governance and cultural innovation.

The University of Art and Design of Cluj-Napoca brings the project In itinere / În mișcare / On the Move, an investigation of institutional identity at 100 years of existence: what does localism and nomadism mean for an art school, who encapsulates its spirit and how does the artistic process become visible to the general public? The project unfolds in two workshop-type components, with master’s and doctoral students.

The Order of Architects of Romania – Bucharest Branch presents Bucureștiul Estetic, an exhibition that showcases the awarded and nominated projects at the Bucharest Architecture Annual 2025, with a focus on urban sustainability and architectural solutions for a responsible city.

ARDI – Romanian Association for Design and Innovation presents RITUAL – The Romanian Kitchen, an exhibition-manifesto about the most intimate space of the Romanian home. The kitchen. Three scenographies, three defining eras, one single question: how has the place where we gather changed?

BDF Communities Program in Brezoianu Locations: Palatul Universul (Mezzanine), Entrance Store Period: May 27 -June 21, 2026

Brezoianu brings together spaces with layered creative histories, Palatul Universul, one of the most prolific mini galaxies of creative industries in Cartierul Creativ, and Entrance Store, an avant-garde concept store active since 2008, for a program that connects international design with the local scene:

At Entrance Store, Dan Perjovschi x Comme des Garçons. A Story About A Collaboration. An exhibition in three acts built around the unexpected collaboration between Romanian artist Dan Perjovschi and Japanese fashion house Comme des Garçons. The artist chose to donate the campaign fee to the Dăruiește Viață Association. The exhibition presents the CDG SHIRT 2026 x Dan Perjovschi capsule, previous collaborations of the Comme des Garçons brand with international artists such as Andy Warhol, KAWS, Yue Minjun, Futura 2000 and three outfits from the brand’s recent collections. The exhibition can be visited during the period: May 23 – 30, 2026

At Palatul Universul (Mezzanine), FABER, the independent cultural center from Timișoara, presents Legături Chimice / Chemical Bonds, an exhibition that explores the chemical industry in Romania as a science of transformation and control. The exhibition is symbolically hosted in the former Azur factory, a production site for soap, lacquers and paints.

At Apollo111, the exhibition signed by ADC*RO Awards can be visited, a presentation of all the winning creative campaigns at the first edition of the ADC*RO Award Gala in 2025. Eight campaigns from six advertising agencies bring ideas that challenge, inspire and push the industry further before the public.

HOT LAGOON completes the BDF Communities program in Brezoianu with a fair dedicated to independent design and local production.

BDF Communities, signed by Cartierul Creativ, is presented by Banca Transilvania. Main partner: Concelex Strategic media partners: Euromedia, ROCK FM, TVR Media partners: HotNews, B365, Revista ARHITECTURA, IQads, Lovedeco, Radio România Cultural, Alist Magazine, Revista BIZ, The Woman, Igloo, Revista Zeppelin, Les Dedans, PropagARTA, Dreaming Of, Molecule-F Monitoring partner: MediaTRUST

Bucharest Design Festival 2026 takes place between May 20 and June 21, in over 150 spaces in Bucharest. BDF Communities activates the micro-areas of Cartierul Creativ in Amzei, Grivița and Brezoianu, through curated exhibitions and urban interventions, over four consecutive weekends.

Bucharest Design Festival takes place under the High Patronage of the President of Romania. BDF is a THE INSTITUTE project in partnership with the Bucharest City Hall, with the support of ADIZMB and ARCUB, carried out in partnership with Sector 1 of Bucharest Municipality.