Bucharest Biennial of Stage Design 2026 – W.O.R.K., at Filaret plant
Bucharest Biennial of Stage Design, which returned to the cultural scene last fall after a three-decade hiatus, will take place in late June 2026 at the Filaret plant, as well as at venues such as the Dimitrie Leonida National Technical Museum and the Bucharest National Theater.
Covering an area of 2,000 square meters, the Filaret plant will host the main exhibition, curated by Irina Moscu. As artistic director, as she explained at a conference on December 10, she chose the concept and theme based on the current socio-political context. Set designers are an increasingly visible, articulate, and obvious force, so this edition has the theme “Women Oppression Resistance Knowledge/ W.O.R.K.”.
“W.O.R.K.” investigates the position of women in scenography and art in general. However, it will not be an exclusively female edition. The focus will be on recognizing female creators, but male creators will also be featured in other segments of the biennial. “It’s not just an exhibition, it’s a manifesto,” says Irina Moscu.
Contemporary production designers who stand out for their contemporary language and genuine artistic research, whose creations remain memorable, are selected.
Set designer Dragoș Buhagiar, president of UNITER, who is collaborating with the Romanian OISTAT Center in organizing the biennial, emphasizes that it is a necessary project, but “we must be careful with the content, so as not to stray too far from theater.”
Call for entries calendar
The calendar of open calls for the 2026 Bucharest Biennial of Stage Design exhibitions was announced at the same conference. Registration for the exhibition dedicated to professionals, for emerging artists, for students, and for conferences and workshops begins on January 12, 2026, and is open until March 1, and on March 27—International Theater Day—the selection will be announced.
The selections will be made by international juries, by section – stage design, costume design, lighting design, video design, sound design, and theater photography – from creations made in the last two years.
A new section is “(Im)possible Scenographies,” which includes projects that remained at the sketch stage.
Bucharest Biennial of Stage Design 2026 will take place between June 26 and July 5. The exhibitions and events—meetings, concerts—will be hosted by the Filaret plant, with adjacent spaces, including its 3,600-square-meter courtyard, spaces belonging to the Dimitrie Leonida National Technical Museum, and the Bucharest National Theater.
Photo: Bienala de Scenografie București 2024; curatorial
