Romania will present the exhibition HEMP – Back to the Future at its national pavilion during World Expo 2025 Osaka, opening on September 12 and running until October 13.
Organized by the Ivan Patzaichin – Mila 23 Association and the Textile Museum in Băița, the project is brought to Japan by Bucharest City Hall and CREART – the Center for Creation, Art and Tradition of Bucharest Municipality, in partnership with the Romanian Cultural Institute and with the support of Romania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Embassy in Japan.
The exhibition explores the heritage and future potential of hemp as a renewable raw material, cultural symbol, and design resource, while strengthening Romania’s profile in global cultural exchanges. Visitors will experience a blend of heritage textiles, contemporary fashion pieces, artistic installations, and multimedia works, alongside a bilingual research album on traditional costumes from Romania and Japan, authored by Dr. Florica Zaharia and Midori Sato.
Curated by Teodor Frolu (Ivan Patzaichin – Mila 23 Association) and Dr. Florica Zaharia (Textile Museum in Băița, former conservator at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York), the exhibition combines documentary depth with contemporary design. It features traditional garments and fabrics, hemp-based contemporary fashion designed by Oláh Gyárfás (PATZAIKIN), and multimedia contributions by artists Dan Vezentan and Dilmana Yordanova.
The opening ceremony on September 12 will be attended by key contributors, including curator Teodor Frolu, Dr. Florica Zaharia, Romulus-Nicolae Zaharia, Yuko Fukatsu (Tama Art University, Tokyo), and designer Oláh Gyárfás, alongside Ferdinand Nagy, Romania’s Commissioner General at Expo 2025. The program includes official speeches, guided tours, professional debates on heritage and design, and the launch of the research album Visible Cultural Heritage – Traditional Costumes from Romania and Japan.
By highlighting hemp’s role across history and its relevance to sustainable design, the project bridges tradition and innovation while promoting intercultural dialogue between Romania and Japan.
World Expo 2025 Osaka takes place up untilOctober 13, 2025, on Yumeshima Island, bringing together more than 150 countries and organizations under the theme “Designing Future Society for Our Lives.”
AloJapan.com