Romanian Cultural Institute in New York / ICR New York

10/15/2026

🎭 FROM NEW YORK TO BUCHAREST: MIGRATION DIARY AT THE 36TH NATIONAL THEATRE FESTIVAL!

Following its world premiere at New York’s legendary La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in June 2026, "Migration Diary. New York City Edition", written and directed by award-winning Romanian director Carmen Lidia Vidu, makes its Romanian premiere at the 36th FNT - Festivalul National de Teatru / The National Theatre Festival in Bucharest!

📅 October 19, 2026 | 9:00 PM
📅 October 20, 2026 | 6:00 PM
📍 Pictura Hall, “I.L. Caragiale” National Theatre, Bucharest

🌍 Four women. Four personal journeys. Stories that cross borders.

Blending documentary theatre, autobiographical testimony, and immersive multimedia, "Migration Diary" explores the experiences of four women whose lives connect different countries, cultures, and identities with New York City. Performed by Sam Xu, Lia Fietz, Ana-Maria Bandean, and Ellen Ko, the production offers an intimate and moving reflection on migration, memory, identity, and the universal search for belonging.

🎤 Each performance will be followed by a Q&A with the cast and director Carmen Lidia Vidu, moderated by Dorian Branea, offering audiences a chance to explore the personal stories and creative process behind the production.

✨ A special highlight of this transatlantic cultural encounter is the visit to Bucharest of Sarah Rae Murphy and Violeta Picayo, Co-Producing Directors of La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, who will participate in professional meetings and discussions dedicated to strengthening Romanian–American artistic collaboration and exploring future partnerships.

Originally presented in New York by La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, the Romanian Cultural Institute in New York, and the “I.L. Caragiale” National Theatre of Bucharest, "Migration Diary" continues its international journey as part of FNT36, one of Romania’s most important theatre festivals.

🔗 Read more about the production, the performances, and La MaMa’s visit to Bucharest:
https://www.rciusa.info/events/migration-diary-from-la-mama-in-new-york-to-the-national-theatre-festival-in-bucharest-2026-10-19-14-00

10/14/2026

10/14/2026

🎬 ANDREI UJICĂ: IMAGES IN THE WORLD, IMAGES IN THE MIND | A LOOK BACK AT AN EXCEPTIONAL EVENING AT E-FLUX

On September 15, the Romanian Cultural Institute in New York, in partnership with e-flux screening room, presented a special evening with acclaimed Romanian filmmaker, artist, and writer Andrei Ujică, as part of our ongoing series “Echoes and Distortions: Romanian Experimental Film and Video Art.”

📖 A highlight of the evening was the official launch of the English-language edition of "Meridian," Ujică’s book of conversations with Claudia Nedelcu Duca, published by Sticking Place Books and translated by Claudia Davidson-Novosivschei and Andrew Davidson-Novosivschei. The English edition was made possible with funding from the Romanian Cultural Institute through its TPS – Translation and Publication Support Programme, supporting the international circulation of Romanian literature and thought.

📚 The English-language edition of "Meridian" is now available from Sticking Place Books! Discover the book and order your copy here:
https://stickingplacebooks.com/books/meridian

🎤 In a fascinating conversation with Lukas Brasiskis, curator of video and film at e-flux, and Devika Girish, Editor of Film Comment magazine, Andrei Ujică reflected on the ideas explored in "Meridian," his artistic journey, and the intricate relationships between cinema, history, politics, and memory. The discussion offered a rare opportunity to engage with one of contemporary cinema’s most distinctive voices and his understanding of how images shape both our collective histories and personal experiences.

🎞️ The evening also featured excerpts from "Videograms of a Revolution" (1992), "The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceaușescu" (2010), and "TWST / Things We Said Today" (2024), tracing Ujică’s singular approach to archival images, montage, and historical narration.

✨ This event marked the second chapter of “Echoes and Distortions: Romanian Experimental Film and Video Art,” a series curated by Andreea Drăghicescu of RCI New York in collaboration with Lukas Brasiskis. Following the inaugural program dedicated to Ion Grigorescu in May 2026, the series continues to explore the rich history and contemporary relevance of Romanian experimental moving-image practices, bringing pioneering artistic voices into dialogue with New York audiences.

📸 We invite you to revisit the evening through our photo album:
https://shorturl.at/IVwSn

🎥 Coming soon: The full recording of the event will also be available on our YouTube channel and through the event page above, for everyone who would like to discover or revisit this memorable conversation.

📷 Photo credits: Johnny Vacar, David-Leonardo Antal

10/13/2026

The Romanian Cultural Institute in New York is proud to support MoMA The Museum of Modern Art’s landmark exhibition “Constantin Brancusi: The Artist and His Studio,” dedicated to one of the most revolutionary figures in the history of modern sculpture and one of Romania’s most influential contributions to world art.

📅 October 22, 2026 – February 27, 2027
📍 The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York | Floor 6
The Steven and Alexandra Cohen Center for Special Exhibitions

🎨 Bringing together extraordinary works from Brancusi’s legendary Paris studio, MoMA’s celebrated collection, and important local loans, the exhibition offers New York audiences a rare opportunity to rediscover the radical artistic vision of the Romanian-born artist who forever transformed the language of modern sculpture.

✨ At the heart of the exhibition is Brancusi’s studio on impasse Ronsin in Paris, a place that was far more than a workshop. A home, a laboratory of artistic experimentation, and a gathering place for friends and fellow artists, the studio evolved over four decades into a work of art in its own right, dissolving the boundaries between sculpture, architecture, and everyday life.

🗽 Brancusi’s relationship with New York is an especially fascinating part of this story. Encountering the city’s skyline in 1926, he famously exclaimed, “Why, it is my studio,” recognizing in its soaring buildings and geometric forms an unexpected reflection of his own artistic imagination. A century later, his extraordinary creative universe returns to New York in a landmark exhibition.

🕊️ Among the highlights are rarely lent sculptures from the Atelier Brancusi, preserved at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, including works that revolutionized the very definition of sculpture. His iconic "Bird in Space," famously challenged by American customs authorities over whether it qualified as a work of art, embodies the radical simplicity and extraordinary expressive power of his artistic vision.

📷 Alongside the sculptures, a remarkable selection of Brancusi’s photographs, films, hand-carved furniture, pedestals, tools, and archival materials reveals the intimate world of an artist whose relentless experimentation with form, materials, light, and space helped shape the course of 20th-century art.

🇷🇴 Born in Romania in 1876 and established in Paris at the beginning of the 20th century, Constantin Brancusi forged a universal artistic language while maintaining a profound connection to the craftsmanship, traditions, and cultural imagination of his native country. His extraordinary journey from rural Romania to the forefront of international modernism remains one of the most remarkable stories in modern art.

🏛️ The exhibition is organized by Anne Umland, guest curator, and Mia Matthias, Assistant Curator, with Samantha Small, Curatorial Assistant, Department of Painting and Sculpture, MoMA. It is presented with the exceptional support of Centre Pompidou.

🤝 RCI New York is honored to support this exceptional exhibition, bringing the legacy of one of the most influential figures in Romanian and international art into renewed dialogue with American audiences and celebrating the enduring power of Brancusi’s revolutionary artistic vision.

🔗 More details:
https://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/5910

10/13/2026

📚 NEW RELEASE | DAN SOCIU’S "DEEP FAKES" — NOW AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH!

We are delighted to announce the publication of "Deep Fakes," a bilingual collection of poetry by acclaimed Romanian poet Dan Sociu, translated into English by Monica Cure and published by World Poetry Books on October 8, 2026.

Bringing one of the most distinctive and uncompromising voices in contemporary Romanian poetry to American readers, "Deep Fakes" is the first representative collection of Sociu’s work to appear in English, spanning more than a decade of his literary career.

Often described as Romania’s "poète maudit," Dan Sociu writes with remarkable honesty, dark humor, and emotional precision about life on the margins, love, vulnerability, poverty, disillusionment, and the fragile beauty of everyday existence. Rooted in the realities of post-communist Romania yet profoundly universal in their concerns, his poems move between personal confession and social critique, tenderness and irony.

In Monica Cure’s accomplished translation, American audiences can now discover the singular literary universe of a poet whose work has helped redefine contemporary Romanian poetry.

“These poems by Dan Sociu are smart while remaining warm and loving, and tragic without being maudlin. They are funny and direct and often, in the best possible way, unhinged.” — Matthew Zapruder

We are especially pleased that this publication was made possible in part through a grant from the Romanian Cultural Institute’s Translation and Publication Support Program, reaffirming our commitment to supporting Romanian literature in translation and bringing outstanding Romanian authors to international audiences.

Our warmest congratulations to Dan Sociu, Monica Cure, and the entire team at World Poetry Books on this important publication!

📖 Discover the book: https://worldpoetrybooks.com/books/deep-fakes

Deep Fakes | Dan Sociu
Translated by Monica Cure
World Poetry Books | October 8, 2026
Bilingual Romanian–English edition | 184 pages

10/12/2026

📚 NORMAN MANEA AT 90: BETWEEN DICTATORSHIP AND EXILE
📅 October 15–16, 2026 | Bucharest & Livestream

The National Museum of Romanian Literature and the Romanian Cultural Institute, in partnership with the “Carol I” Central University Library, the Faculty of Letters of the University of Bucharest, and the Writers’ Union of Romania, invite you to a special international celebration marking the 90th birthday of Norman Manea, one of Romania’s most internationally acclaimed writers and a defining voice in the literature of exile.

Bringing together distinguished writers, literary critics, scholars, and cultural figures from around the world, this two-day anniversary program will explore Manea’s extraordinary life and literary legacy, shaped by the experiences of the Holocaust, communist dictatorship, and exile, as well as his enduring reflections on memory, identity, language, and freedom.

📍 Thursday, October 15 | 10:00 AM (Bucharest time)
“Carol I” Central University Library, Bucharest

The celebration opens with welcoming remarks by Mireille Rădoi, Director General of the “Carol I” Central University Library, and Corina Încrosnatu , President of Institutul Cultural Român / Romanian Cultural Institute, followed by a video message from Varujan Vosganian, President of the Writers’ Union of Romania, and a contribution from Mircea Martin, member of the Romanian Academy.

A special highlight of the opening session will be a video message from Norman Manea himself, followed by contributions from Gabriela Adameșteanu, Michel Carassou, Igor Webb, Benjamin Balint, Robert Boyers, Bedros Horasangian, and Ion Bogdan Lefter. The session will be moderated by Ioan Cristescu, Director of the National Museum of Romanian Literature.

The afternoon session, moderated by Claudiu Turcuș, will bring together internationally acclaimed writers and intellectuals, including Alberto Manguel, Mercedes Monmany, Jan Koneffke, Carmen Mușat, Dorian Branea, Corina Șuteu, Andrei Ujică, Felicia Waldman, Oana Soare, and Alexandru Goldiș, for conversations exploring Manea’s international literary connections, intellectual friendships, and the global reception of his work.

📍 Friday, October 16 | Facultatea de Litere, Universitatea din București & National Museum of Romanian Literature

The anniversary continues with an academic discussion moderated by Caius Dobrescu, featuring Felicia Waldman, Bianca Păuleț, Cristina Hermeziu, and Victor Cobuz, examining Manea’s writing and its place in Romanian and international literary history.

The celebrations will conclude with the opening of “Norman Manea – 90: Between Dictatorship and Exile,” a documentary exhibition at the National Museum of Romanian Literature, featuring manuscripts, photographs, personal objects, and archival materials tracing the writer’s remarkable intellectual journey. The opening will include contributions from Carmen Mușat, Claudiu Turcuș, and Luminița Corneanu.

✨ More than an anniversary tribute, Norman Manea at 90 is an international celebration of literature’s power to confront historical trauma, preserve cultural memory, and defend individual freedom, honoring a writer whose voice continues to resonate across languages, cultures, and generations.

🔗 For more details:
https://www.rciusa.info/events/norman-manea-at-90-between-dictatorship-and-exile

10/08/2026

🎬 Celebrating Romanian excellence in film while supporting a cause that changes lives! 🇷🇴

The Romanian Cultural Institute in New York is pleased to share a special event that brings together cinema, culture, and a meaningful mission.

On Sunday, October 18, The Alex Fund presents the New York Premiere of "The Yellow Tie," a remarkable film about the life and legacy of legendary Romanian conductor Sergiu Celibidache, directed by his son, Serge Celebidachi, and starring John Malkovich.

The screening will be followed by a special Q&A with John Malkovich and Serge Celebidachi, moderated by Ethan Hawke.

💛 Beyond this celebration of Romanian artistic achievement lies an even greater purpose: supporting children in Romania.

For more than two decades, The Alex Fund has championed access to education and better opportunities for children from disadvantaged communities in Romania. Through its longstanding support of organizations such as Asociatia OvidiuRO, it has helped advance early childhood education, literacy, and educational inclusion, giving thousands of children a stronger start in life.

We warmly encourage our community to join this special afternoon and support The Alex Fund's inspiring mission. By coming together around Romanian culture, we can also help build a brighter future for Romania's children.

📅 Sunday, October 18, 2026 | 2 PM
📍 Village East by Angelika / The Jaffe Theatre, 189 Second Avenue, New York City

🔗 Event details and ways to support: https://www.alexfund.org/events/upcoming-events/

10/08/2026

🎥 Revisit a memorable evening of photography, cinema, and conversation at the Romanian Cultural Institute in New York!

We are delighted to share the full conversation between acclaimed filmmaker Cristian Mungiu and renowned curator Roxana Marcoci, recorded during the opening of FJORD. The Pictures.

An engaging encounter between two exceptional perspectives, the discussion explores the fascinating intersections of cinema and photography, the art of seeing, and the stories that images can tell.

✨ Whether you joined us that evening or are discovering the conversation for the first time, we invite you to revisit one of the highlights of this extraordinary opening night.

▶️ Watch the full conversation and enjoy!

📸 The full photo album from opening night and the complete conversation are now also available on our website:
https://www.rciusa.info/post/fjord-the-pictures-exhibition-opening

📍 “FJORD. The Pictures” remains on view through November 30, 2026, at the Brâncuși Gallery, Romanian Cultural Institute in New York.

Presented by RCI New York in collaboration with Mobra Films and NEON.

10/06/2026

✨ A spectacular turnout for FJORD. The Pictures | Exhibition Opening and an unforgettable New York evening for photography, cinema, and contemporary visual culture.

Hundreds of guests joined us at the Romanian Cultural Institute in New York for the official opening of "FJORD. The Pictures". The entire institute remained full throughout the evening, in an atmosphere both vibrant and intimate, an exceptional gathering around images, ideas, and conversation.

📷 At the heart of the evening was the encounter between Cristian MUNGIU and Roxana Marcoci. Bringing together Cristian Mungiu’s unmistakable cinematic eye—his attention to framing, human behavior, detail, and the stories held within ordinary moments—and Roxana Marcoci’s extraordinary curatorial perspective, shaped over decades at the forefront of contemporary photography at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and internationally, the conversation opened a fascinating space between cinema and photography. It offered a rare opportunity to look more closely at Mungiu’s photographic practice, while placing it in dialogue with some of the larger questions surrounding the photographic image today.

The opening brought together an extraordinary cross-section of New York’s cultural and international community, with distinguished members of the diplomatic community, prominent figures from film and the arts, curators, critics, artists and cultural professionals, members of the press, and friends of Romanian culture among our guests. We were honored to see hundreds of visitors move through the exhibition over the course of the night and grateful to everyone who made the evening feel as substantial as it was celebratory.

Our warmest thanks to Cristian Mungiu and Roxana Marcoci for a memorable conversation and to everyone who joined us for this very special night.

"FJORD. The Pictures" is presented by the Romanian Cultural Institute in New York, in collaboration with Mobra Films and NEON.

📸 Explore the full photo album from opening night:
https://www.rciusa.info/post/fjord-the-pictures-exhibition-opening
Photography by Johnny Vacar

🎥 The full conversation between Cristian Mungiu and Roxana Marcoci will be available soon.

🗓 "FJORD. The Pictures" remains on view through November 30, 2026, Monday–Friday, 10 AM–6 PM, at the Brâncuși Gallery | Romanian Cultural Institute in New York, 200 East 38th Street.

👀 And the exhibition continues beyond the gallery walls: additional events and special programs will be announced in the coming weeks. Follow RCI USA and subscribe to our newsletter to stay close to what’s next.

🍩 A special thank you to Nita Bakery for helping us make the evening so welcoming.