Bucharest – Romania
Lead: AMU – Aix-Marseille University (AMU)
Work Package 5
11. – 17. February 2025
Problems to be addressed
On November 26, 2024, Goethe-Institute celebrated 45 years of existence in Romania. 45 years after that founding moment and 35 years after the Revolution in Romania, this event aims to build a bridge across time and generations by means of a performative installation. On the one hand, the installation aims to symbolically reconstruct the journey of Goethe-Institute in Romania, from its opening in 1979 to the transition period in the early 90s, based on archival documents, newspaper articles, photographs and some testimonies of German employees, on the other hand it explores the way in which Goethe-Institute is perceived today by the artists of the generation Z artists, selected through an open call. Through it, it aims to explore:
- Cultural Diplomacy Under Dictatorship – The challenges of establishing a foreign cultural institute in a communist state, navigating censorship, and fostering cultural exchange in an era of political isolation.
- Legacy and Transformation:The evolving role of the Goethe-Institute from a Cold War cultural outpost to a contemporary space for artistic and intellectual dialogue in a rapidly globalizing world.
- Generational Perspectives on Cultural Identity: How Generation Z artists perceive and engage with the Goethe-Institute today, in contrast to its historical role, and how globalization has reshaped notions of cultural exchange and artistic expression.
Target groups
- Artists and Cultural Practitioners, especially belonging to Generation Z.
- Academics and Researchers
- German-Romanian Community
- Students and Young Audiences
- Diplomats and representatives of Cultural Institutes
The Questions for this event
- What were the prerequisites for opening a foreign cultural institute such as the Goethe-Institute in a communist country that was in a state of isolation under the dictatorship of Nicolae Ceausescu?
- How is the Goethe-Institute perceived today by the generation Z, born and raised in a contemporary Romania, marked by the narratives of globalization?
Presenters – speakers – artists -actors
Roxana Lapadat
NARDIV PhD Student in Work Package 5 Shaping Perceptions by Cultural Diplomacy as Soft Power
Researcher, Curator and Theatre Maker
Initiator and Author of Performative Installation: In the Loop of Cultural Times 45 Years of Goethe-Institute in Romania
Elena Stanciu
NARDIV Team Member in Work Package 5 Shaping Perceptions by Cultural Diplomacy as Soft Power
Assitsant Curator
Ioana Iacob
Actress
Voice of the Installation
Niko Becker
Actor
Voice of Installation
Alma Buhagiar
Film Director and Video Artist
Author of the Video Installation
Iulia Enkelana
Visual Artist and Playwright
Author of the Photo Installation
Vlad Hodrea
Sound Artist and Storyteller/Communications Expert
Author of the Sound Exploration
Alexandru Andrei
Technical Coordinator
Dan Tian
Technical Coordinator
The Answers from this event
Goethe-Institute: as a platform for limited but significant cross-cultural engagement during Ceaușescu’s rule
The Goethe-Institut (GI) opened in Romania in 1979 under strict censorship and a tightly controlled cultural landscape. Despite these restrictions, German-Romanian cultural exchange created ‘islands of dialogue’ with the free world. Roxana Lapadat’s historical installation reconstructed this journey through archival materials, highlighting how persistent negotiations enabled both symbolic and physical breakthroughs, allowing the GI to serve as a platform for limited but meaningful cross-cultural engagement under Ceaușescu’s rule.
Generation Z and the Evolving Role of Cultural Institutions
Generation Z’s perception of the Goethe-Institut Bucharest emerges through the voices of young artists in the installation. Alma Buhagiar’s ‘cells of memory’ trace the Goethe-Institute’s history in Bucharest, Iulia Enkelana explores institutional influences on creativity, and Vlad Hodrea examines transformation, technology, and memory. Their works foster intergenerational dialogue, highlighting the enduring role of cultural institutions in free thought, critical memory, and democratic values in Europe.