BDF young and BDF professional, two of the Bucharest Design Festival formats
Over 100 artists and projects, retrospective exhibitions, award-winning local and international design projects and special guests, in dialogue with the public.
Bucharest, April 17, 2026 Bucharest Design Festival, organized by The Institute Foundation, announces the program of two formats dedicated to the professional community: BDF Young, signed by DIPLOMA Show, and BDF Professional, signed by Romanian Design Week. Both formats are presented by UniCredit Bank, a partner that, over more than 10 years, has consistently invested in Romania’s design and architecture ecosystem. This collaboration marks an important new chapter, in which UniCredit Bank continues to stand alongside The Institute Foundation’s projects, this time within the largest creative festival in and for Bucharest.
“For over a decade, UniCredit Bank has supported the development of Romania’s creative ecosystem through partnerships with Romanian Design Week and DIPLOMA Show, initiatives that have contributed to shaping the community and professional platform that today form the foundation of Bucharest Design Festival. This continued involvement through the support of BDF Young and BDF Professional reflects a long-term vision, in which investment in new generations of artists, architects and designers, alongside support for professionals in the field, becomes a driver for the cultural and economic transformation of society, consolidating the role of design and architecture as essential tools in building a more sustainable, more inclusive and more relevant future.” Anca Ungureanu, Director of Identity and Communication, UniCredit Bank Romania
The two formats bring together a substantial program:
BDF Young brings together 24 artists and designers former DIPLOMA Show participants in an exhibition that explores the process of building a career in the creative field, hosted by the National Museum of Art of Romania.
BDF Professional comprises over 20 international and local exhibitions and projects, across two main venues: Galeria Mincu (Ion Mincu University of Architecture and Urban Planning) and the CINA building (10 Benjamin Franklin Street).
Further information about exhibition access and the visiting program is available on the website: institute.ro/bucharestdesignfestival.
“Bucharest Design Festival aims to be a celebration of the city 30 days in which design, architecture and art will animate Bucharest and create new contexts for encounter and exploration. We are preparing a dynamic first edition, with an exhibition and events program that will activate key points of the capital, from MNAR to Galeria Mincu, from the CINA building to dozens of other spaces across the city. We want to bring the public out of their homes, to give them reasons to (re)discover Bucharest through the eyes of those who actively contribute to its transformation. After years of creative energy channeled into the Romanian Design Week and DIPLOMA Show projects, we now have a common framework that brings the public closer to everything of value happening on the local creative scene.” Raluca Mirel, Director, Bucharest Design Festival, THE INSTITUTE Foundation
BDF Young, signed by DIPLOMA Show
Venue: National Museum of Art of Romania (MNAR), ground floor of the National Gallery Period: May 21-30, 2026Hours: Wednesday-Friday: 10:00-18:00 | Saturday–Sunday: 11:00-19:00
BDF Young continues DIPLOMA Show’s mission of supporting the new generation of creatives, proposing this year an expansive exhibition dedicated to the transition from the academic to the professional environment. The exhibition traces the journey of former DIPLOMA Show participants 24 artists and designers from their diploma works to their most recent projects, highlighting their evolution, transformations and the way in which they have constructed their artistic identity. The exhibition is complemented by a visual research of the contemporary art scene, a map of the current creative ecosystem that speaks about galleries, residencies, artists and collectors, and by a distinctive scenographic component: domestic spaces (living room, office, dining room) recreated together with architects, in which the artists’ works are integrated into contemporary interiors alongside furniture pieces signed by Romanian designers.
The main exhibition, curated by Diana Ursan (art historian, PhD in visual arts, former artistic director of Galeria Ivan), brings works by artists including: Ovidiu Toader, Albert Kaan, Alexandru Ranga, Anca Vintilă Dragu, Otilia Efros, Daniel Roșca, Andrei Nuțu, Ioana Tocoaie, Nicoleta Mureș, Ștefan Curelici, Tania Șimonca, Norica Popescu, Denise Lobonț, Nadina Stoica, Hunor Tóth, Lera Kelemen, Fernando Diaconu, Diana Baltag, Bogdan Matei, Irina Motroc, Livia Fălcaru, Diana Grigore (DAIA), Emanuela Balint and Mihai Popescu.
The content in the National Gallery is complemented by the B50M installation, present in the MNAR courtyard. A 50-metre bench in the Courtyard of Honor of the Royal Palace, which will transform the seemingly closed garden into an urban square, a place of encounter, rest and conviviality. The installation is signed by the studios alt.corp., cryptic.k and architect Justin Baroncea.
“With the arrival of spring, MNAR and BDF together reimagine the place and purpose of art and design at the very heart of Bucharest, at the Royal Palace. The grand DIPLOMA retrospective, organized by The Institute in MNAR’s temporary exhibition halls on the ground floor of the National Gallery, draws the public into a dizzying journey through the circuit of visual innovation of recent years a true incursion into the jungle of new, provocative signs and forms that artists and designers interweave to make our lives more vivid, more pleasant, more full of meaning. At the same time, in the Courtyard of Honor of the Royal Palace, BDF will create and insert for MNAR a public meta-installation, an aggregate of urban good cheer, which will transform the seemingly closed garden of the Royal Palace into a true square, a place for displaying conviviality and savoring leisure.” Erwin Kessler, Director General, National Museum of Art of Romania
BDF Young, signed by DIPLOMA Show, is presented by UniCredit Bank Principal partners: Vodafone, Rompetrol | Creative energy partner: PEPSI | Partner: UNIBUC (University of Bucharest) | With the support of: Romanian Cultural Institute (ICR) | Strategic media partners: Euromedia, Kiss FM | Format media partners: HotNews, B365, Propagarta, Radio România Cultural, Revista BIZ, The Woman, Dreamingof.net, Molecule-F | Monitoring partner:MediaTRUST
BDF Professional, signed by Romanian Design Week
Venues: Galeria Mincu (Ion Mincu University of Architecture and Urban Planning) for the international program and the CINA Building for the local design program. Period: June 5–21, 2026
BDF Professional continues Romanian Design Week’s commitment to supporting and promoting design and architecture practices, bringing together in a single framework international and local exhibitions, professional dialogues and events dedicated to the community.
International Exhibitions at Galeria Mincu, UAUIM
The international program brings to Bucharest a diverse selection of voices from European design and architecture, alongside international guests confirmed for the festival’s first edition.
The Italian Cultural Institute presents the retrospective exhibition FRANCO RAGGI. Nomadic Digressions on Design, curated by Francesca Molteni tapestries, drawings, ceramics and design objects signed by one of Italy’s most eclectic creators, complemented by a documentary film and a discussion in the presence of the artist.
The Spanish Embassy and Instituto Cervantes, in collaboration with the Mies van der Rohe Foundation, bring Architectures in Transformation seven finalist projects for the EUmies Awards 2026 European architecture prize.
The Swedish Embassy presents Out of Play, a sculptural exhibition by artist Linda Ottosson, which departs from the language of sport to explore relationships of power and fragility.
The Polish Institute and the Magdalena Abakanowicz University of Arts in Poznań mark 60 years of the Waldemar Świerzy Poster Studio with the exhibition 60/60 – Polish Poster Exhibition, and together with the Adam Mickiewicz Institute propose Signs of Connection, an installation about the diacritics that shape our common language, signed by designers Ola Kot and Andrei Grosu (Policromic).
The Royal Danish Embassy brings Nordic Sustainable Cities, an exhibition about Nordic solutions in architecture and sustainable urban planning.
The Liszt Institute – Hungarian Cultural Centre Bucharest, in collaboration with Hagyományok Háza from Budapest, presents The Little Black Dress – Tradition and Contemporary Design, a fashion exhibition curated by Cselényi Eszter, with creations inspired by Hungarian folk costume.
The Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia celebrates contemporary Slovenian design through Adorned Slovenia: Wear the Art!, bringing together fashion and jewelry creations.
The Czech Centre invites the public into an interactive experience Cycle-Up, created by Maria Mandea (Super Serios) which puts participants in the shoes of the Bucharest cyclist and provokes reflection on urban mobility.
MINI completes the program with a specially created presentation about the reinvention of the iconic MINI identity, with the participation of David Carp, the person responsible for the BMW design archive.
“‘Architecture’ has, over time, been the place and driving force behind exceptional events in Bucharest’s cultural and artistic life. I believe it is time for UAUIM to once again become a landmark and an important actor in this urban, cultural and artistic life. The recent strategic partnership with Bucharest Design Festival capitalizes on THE INSTITUTE’s expertise in promoting the creative industries, in order to transform UAUIM from an academic space into a central cultural hub of the capital.” — Alexandru Călin, Rector, Ion Mincu University of Architecture and Urban Planning
Local Design Exhibitions at the CINA Building
The CINA Building, a Bucharest landmark for over a century and currently undergoing restoration, becomes for one month a platform for contemporary design and architecture.
The exhibition Objects of Romanian Design, curated by Mihnea Ghilduș, brings together 9 brands demonstrating that Romanian design is produced, purchased and present on the real market Catrinel Săbăciag, Electra, Unique by Klausen, Narativo, .lumen, Desiro, Poemi, Luster, Dacia Design Centre.
Bogdan Ciocodeică signs Matter over Data, an exhibition about the primacy of the body and material experience in the digital age, with interior design and product design projects signed by award-winning designers and architecture studios from Romania.
Andreea Macri presents The Outsider, an archive capturing multiple layers of the fashion universe from backstage and the atmosphere behind the scenes of shows, to set design, front row and celebrity presence documented through Andreea’s participation at Fashion Week as a photographer since 2007.
The Illustrators’ Club and Seneca Publishing propose Illustrated Stoicism, an exhibition presented by Regina Maria Health Network, featuring 19 stoic-contemporary manifestos in illustrations.
BAAB, Cătălina Frâncu and Teodor Călinoiu bring Biblioteca Alifanti, an exhibition-study on the work of architect Mircea Alifanti, while the Union of Architects of Romania, under the curatorship of architect Maria Duda, proposes Utopia at the Black Sea, 1955-1989. A piece about/of architecture in 5 acts an incursion into the architecture and mass tourism of the Romanian seaside.
Beta Timișoara Architecture Biennial / OAR Timiș presents In Practice, a behind-the-scenes documentary about the making of the Beta 2026 edition, while Design Studio 2.3 of the Product Design Department at UAUIM debuts with Design Forward 1.0, a technical guide that recovers Romania’s industrial heritage from the 1970s.
The program is further complemented by Sfântu Gheorghe Design Week (The Highlight of Sepsi Design Week), the modular construction project CĂTUN, signed by Hyperpragma (Sorin Axinte, Florin Cobuz), and in the CINA courtyard, CASA CON / Pinecone will be presented an installation signed by LH47 ARCH, a creative ecosystem from Chișinău, presenting a pavilion inspired by the shape of a pine cone, conceived as an immersive experience that invites the public to explore a sensory space evoking the interior of a living organism.
BDF Professional is complemented by the Night of Architecture Studios, an event that opens Bucharest’s architecture studios to the general public. The registration call is open until May 8th.
Details regarding access and the visiting program for BDF Professional will be available on the festival’s official website: institute.ro/bucharestdesignfestival
BDF Professional, signed by RDW, is presented by UniCredit Bank Principal partners: Rompetrol, IQOS, Concelex | Partners: Raffaello, Nutella, Regina Maria, MINI, Murali Store | Funded through: UAR and Timbrul Arhitecturii | Strategic media partners: Euromedia, Kiss FM | Format media partners: Revista Arhitectura, HotNews, B365, Igloo, Alist Magazine, Zeppelin, Lovedeco, Les Dedans, Propagarta, Revista BIZ, Radio Romania Cultural | Monitoring partner: MediaTRUST
Bucharest Design Festival 2026 takes place between May 20 and June 21, across more than 10 central spaces in Bucharest. The CINA Building and Galeria Mincu will host international and local design exhibitions under the BDF Professional format, while the BDF Young format will be presented at MNAR.
Bucharest Design Festival takes place under the High Patronage of the President of Romania. BDF is a THE INSTITUTE project in partnership with Bucharest City Hall, with the support of ADIZMB and ARCUB, realized in partnership with Sector 1 of Bucharest Municipality. The BDF Professional and BDF Young formats are presented by UniCredit Bank.
