Bucharest exhibition explores hemp fabric as sustainable resource

The exhibition Hemp - Back to the Future, set to open at the National Museum of the Romanian Peasant beginning June 18, is dedicated to the “rediscovery of hemp as a sustainable resource, located at the intersection of heritage, contemporary design, and applied research.”

The exhibition, which can be visited in Bucharest until July 12, will be presented between September and October at the Romanian Pavilion at Osaka Expo 2025.

Curated by architect Teodor Frolu, the exhibition brings together the contributions of professionals in the fields of textiles and visual arts, including Dr. Florica Zaharia, curator emeritus of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and director of the Textile Museum in Băița; Oláh Gyárfás, visual artist and designer of the Patzaikin brand; as well as multidisciplinary artists Dan Vezentan and Dilmana Yordanova.

The exhibition presents both contemporary art installations and conceptual items, such as Oláh Gyárfás’s oversized work made of reclaimed hemp textile, Mircea Cantor’s Fus cu zurgălăi, as well as a collection of heritage pieces, including traditional dress, processing tools, fabric samples and comparative materials from Romania and Japan, selected from the collection of the Textile Museum.

The exhibition also includes an audiovisual component dedicated to the reinterpretation of hemp in contemporary design. The Patzaikin brand will present a selection from its hemp-made collection for Romania’s presence at the Tokyo Olympics, including the Patzaikin textile totem installation.