Friday, October 4, the eleventh edition of the DIPLOMA Showthe festival that brings to the fore the creativity of the new generation of Romanian artists, architects and designers. Organized by The Institute and presented by UniCredit Bank, a cultural project financed by the Ministry of Culture and realized with the support of Sector 1 of the Municipality of Bucharest, the festival transformed the building of the former CINA restaurant (located on Benjamin Franklin Street no. 10) into a center of contemporary creativity .
The first weekend of the festival attracted more than 7 thousand visitors, offering them a unique experience, from multidisciplinary exhibitions to masterclasses, socializing and outdoor activities. The exhibition is structured in three major areas: Decorative Arts – signed by Rompetrol, Plastic Arts – signed by Globalworth and Architecture and Urbanism – signed by Cemacon, which include 18 different specializations, such as: architecture, interior architecture, landscape, urban planning, mural art , graphic arts, textile arts, ceramic-glass-metal, product design, graphic design, fashion, photo-video, new media, animation, comics, art pedagogy, painting, scenography and sculpture.
The public explored the guest exhibitions that address varied themes and disciplines and highlight collaborations between galleries, international platforms and renowned institutions. Among them are: the exhibition Domesticated Dreams / Dana Jiloveanu / presented by Galeria Posibilă & Globalworth, jewelry projects curated by Assamblage – Romanian Jewelry Week x Global Creative Graduate Showcase, the exhibition of works by architecture graduates from SIT_2324 / Shibaura Institute of Technology Tokyo (SIT) and the exhibition Lullaby for Pain / Nadya Izosimova / presented by Château Purcari, which brings to the fore a young artist from the Republic of Moldova.
The first weekend of the festival hosted various parties and concerts, including a Jojo Mayer concert as part of the program Live Session curated by Jazz in the Park and supported by Château Purcari. In addition to the events of the weekend, participants will enjoy DJ sets, but also an outdoor bar, in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere throughout the festival.
The first weekend of the festival continued with the DIPLOMA Grow masterclasses, a program presented by Mega Mall X NEPI Rockcastle, which took place on Monday, October 7. They provided valuable insights into career development in the creative industries and the application of sustainability in the arts. In this regard, AMC artists took the stage to provide an overview of the video game industry, and Sebastiano Paccini, Ambassador of the Istituto Europeo di Design and founder of Libri Finti Clandestini, presented his recycling and design project. The masterclass continued with a panel hosted by Galeria Posibilă, offering students tips for applying to open calls. The event ended with a discussion about the involvement of designers in community projects and about obtaining sponsorships, led by Anca Ioana Ghiorghiu. The day ended with a screening made in partnership with Animest 2024.
On the next festival weekend (October 12-13), the organizers are preparing, as every year, the Hot Lagoon Fair which brings together a new wave of artists, designers and illustrators from Romania, offering a varied range of creations including prints, fanzines, T-shirts, ceramic pieces, stickers, postcards, bags, satchels and author books. Among the exhibitors are also eight artists participating in the DIPLOMA Show.
Among the special projects of the festival is the Glitch Library, which is a space dedicated to the exchange of ideas, knowledge and experiences between the fields of art, culture, design and communication. At DIPLOMA Show 2024, it presents a diverse selection of works, from artists specializing in typography and graphics, to graphic design practices such as posters, visual identity and illustration. Also, until October 15, the public can explore the exhibition Graphic Design Alumni Capsule at Mega Mall, a retrospective of the best graphic design projects from previous editions of the festival.
At the same time, Celebrate in Style, an IQOS x Diploma Show collaboration, offers a special experience, built around 10 unique outfits designed by 5 fashion designers. Exhibited over the past years at the DIPLOMA Show, the designers’ projects return to the festival in an unconventional setting, built around the idea of celebration, thus celebrating 10 years since IQOS was launched globally through 10 creations that speak of creativity, unique perspectives, diversity and optimism.
For this edition, DIPLOMA Show and UniCredit Bank launched this year a competition for young illustrators and graphic designers from Romania, aged between 18 and 25. The DRIPLOMA contest aims to create the edition’s official merch collection DIPLOMA Show 2024 and recorded 23 eligible entries. Following the selection process, the winner – Florin Enache – will have the opportunity to see how his creations color the festival. The merch collection includes black and white t-shirts, bandanas, wallets and gloves inspired by his graphics. During the festival, a red box was set up, created in partnership with UniCredit Bank, where visitors can purchase official DRIPLOMA products, and if you use the Mastercard card from UniCredit, you get a 20% discount on the Diploma Merch Collection 2024.
Through all these initiatives, events and efforts, as every year, the DIPLOMA Show becomes both a unique context where new talents can present their works to the general public, as well as a meeting and socializing point with other professionals in the artistic world.
Access to the DIPLOMA Show and to all events and activities within the festival that takes place in the building of the former Cina restaurant is free and is done through a advance reservation. The exhibition can be visited from Monday to Friday, between 16:00 and 22:00, and on weekends – between 12:00 and 22:00.
DIPLOMA Show is a project of The Institute.
Presented by UniCredit Bank
Cultural project funded by Ministry of Culture
Made with support Sector 1 of the Municipality of Bucharest
Partners: IQOS Romania, Rompetrol, Globalworth, Cemacon, Château Purcari, Kozel, Mega Mall
With support Capital city hall through Arcub
With support: Retros Gallery, Demco Lighning, Jecza Gallery, Bloom, Helinik, Arelux, Triade Galley, MRA Models Agency
Strategic media partners: PRO TV, Kiss FM, Euromedia, YOOH
Media partners: Radio Romania Cultural, Igloo, Haute Culture, BIZ Magazine, Zeppelin Magazine, Molecule F, Designist, Modernism, B365.ro, feeder.ro, munteanurecomandă.ro, Propagarta, Atelierul Magazine, IQads, RADOR, Agerpres, Days and Nights, Spotmedia , PRwave, Glamour, The Woman, Happening, Arthood, Metropolis, ALIST Magazine, Dreamingof.net, Daily Magazine, EventsMax, Revista Golan, Revista Arhitectura, Revista Arta
Communication partners: 5 to go, Humanitas Bookstores
Industry partners: Order of Romanian Architects, Babeș-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca,
Union of Visual Artists from Romania, Union of Architects from Romania, National University of
Arts “George Enescu” Iași, National University of Arts Bucharest, Faculty of Business Administration in English
Exhibition design: Attila Kim Architects
Creative team: Claudia Draghia, Sebastian Pren
Monitoring partner: MediaTrust
The Institute promotes the creative industries in Romania, contributing to the modernization of the country through events organized for over 25 years. The community created by The Institute brings together entrepreneurs, professionals and the public of creative industries in Romania, building a solid infrastructure for the development of creative entrepreneurship. The Romanian Design Week, DIPLOMA Show, Civil Society Gala, Internetics and ASAP Romania, Cartierul Creativ and Combinat initiatives are just some of the important contributions of The Institute.
UniCredit Bank is part of the UniCredit Group. In Romania, UniCredit Bank is one of the main financial institutions, offering high quality services and products for all categories of customers. UniCredit Bank aims to permanently keep the customer at the center of its activities, to be a partner that is easy to work with and to be an active part of the communities in which it operates. UniCredit responds to a wide range of needs of its clients through a network of specialized partners: UniCredit Leasing Corporation, UniCredit Consumer Financing, UniCredit Services, UniCredit Insurance Broker.
Source: www.iqads.ro
