Hundreds of Romanian and foreign artists, present in dozens of exhibitions, transforms Iasi in a European epicenter of art, at Romanian Creative Week
Iasi becomes the European capital of art and creativity, within Romanian Creative Week (RCW), reached its fifth edition. Between 14 and 55 May 2025, the city will host hundreds of Romanian and international artists who will exhibit in dozens of impressive exhibitions. The event represents the most important moment dedicated to creative industries in the European Union. The historical locations and modern spaces in Iași, such as the Turkish bath, the Palace of Culture, the Metropolitan Museum (a premiere this year for RCW), the Palas gardens, as well as other alternative spaces, will become scenes for a vibrant celebration of contemporary art.
The central exhibition, “Iconia”, curated by Marian Pălie and hosted in the Voivodeship Hall of the Palace of Culture, explores the way visual symbols influence the collective memory and identity. At the Unirii Museum, the exhibition “Here. Now!”, Curated by Dragoș Pătrașcu and Maria Bilașevschi, brings 30 renowned artists, including Valentina Druțu, Ana-Sabina Drinceanu, Ilie Boscan, Simion Cristea and Cristian Diaconescu. Artists propose reflections about contemporary love.
The Metropolitan Museum inaugurates the clay – contemporary ceramics section, through The Garden of Belonging. Curated by Caterina Pruteanu and Adina Oră, having a setup by the architect Carina Lăcătușu, the exhibition presents a modern reinterpretation of the Edenic garden and includes works of some artists from Romania, Canada, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands.
The Iași Art Museum houses the exhibition “Cosmic Attractors” by Miron Schmückle, which returns to a Romanian museum after 18 years. The exhibition proposes a poetic vision of the botanical nature, transformed into surprising and surreal creations. “PThe Ublic has the opportunity to discover another world, which has roots in the vegetable world we know, but in which the flowers and plants turn into organs, into extraterrestrial creatures”, The curator shows Cristina Simion. Also at the Palace of Culture, in the atrium, the floral designer Nicu Bocancea presents the installation “Between Worlds”.
At the Turkish bath, the painter Florin Stefan exhibits works that explore the tension between faith and skepticism in the exhibition “Suspensions”. In the same location, the exhibition “Beauty of your gesture” achieves a pendulum between various forms and artistic techniques.
The Unirii Square will accommodate, within the SECTION OF NEW NOW, the monumental sculpture “geology of possibilities”, curated by Marlene Herbeth and made by Anetta Mona Chişa and Thomas Fink. The work offers visitors an interactive space of refuge and contemplation, through a Dom-shaped sculpture, perfectly integrated into the urban landscape.
At the Braunstein Palace, the exhibition “Für Papier und Ochester”, curated by Nicoleta Radu and Emilian Pospaii, analyzes the potential of paper as an artistic environment, presenting a visual documentation of the paper production processes and a demonstration of its potential as an art object. “There are raw materials and materials, creating an installation at the intersection between a paper conservation room, a warehouse and a workspace, experiment”looks Emilian Pospaii. And also Braunstein, will host “Ghost 30: the world is not perfect”, with graphic works from the Ghost collection in Berlin.
The Băncilă Gallery presents “Noli Saere: to a new rebirth”, bringing together artists from Romania and Italy, and the Museum House houses “Shaped by Love”, the photographic exhibition of George Popovici.
In the Palas gardens, the exhibitions “the heart of the city” and “the heart of the city 2.0” have installations made of recycled materials. The “timeless dialogue”, made by the artists Mariana Gheorghiu and Ionela-Sandrina Mihuleac, will be opened at the Pallady Gallery, and “[In] The absence of the artists Andrei Budescu and Cristian Opriș can be visited at Studio 7-9.
The “seven hills of Iaș” will be visited until June 30, 2025 at Terminal 4 of the Iași International Airport. Located at the city's access gate, the works of Felix Aftene, with a design signed by the architect Mihai Birtu, invites viewers to discover how, through art, man can give a common space, where nature becomes a sacred meaning and becomes a bridge between abstract and concrete.
Alexandru Lăpușneanu street becomes a space for the installation “Passage. The found garden” signed by Florin Zhu, and on May 15, from 6 pm to midnight, the public can participate in the “Night Architecture” event, part of the urban project Canvas 2025, organized by the Order of Architects in Romania.
About Romanian Creative Week
Romanian Creative Week It is organized by the Federation of Patrons in the Creative Industries, the only representative employer at national level working in the creative industries sector. It was established in Iasi, in August 2011. It has organized, directly or through the members of the member, more than 100 actions of national and international promotion of creative industries.
Institutional Partners of RCW 2025: The City Hall of Iași, the Ministry of Culture, the Iași County Council, the National Museum of Romanian Literature Iași, the National Museum Complex of Moldova Iași, the Union of Plastic Artists from Romania, “Al. I. Cuza” University in Iași, Iași Airport.
Partners: UniCredit Bank, Iulius, Pepsi, Audi, Glo, Raiffeisen Bank, Lancôme, Banca Transilvania, Vodafone, Philips, Stella Artois, Zano, Pioneer Group, Minetto, Greentek Lighting, Jidvei, Murali, Wink, Printco, Promotop, Centric, Grand Hotel Traian.
Media partners: PRO TV, protv.ro, Digi 24, HotNews.ro, Newsweek Romania, Ziarul de Iași, Europa FM, Agerpres, Virgin Radio, Radio Hit, Investigatoria.ro, Mediaquality.ro, artohood.ro.
Media partnership
