Daniel Popescu - Creator & Connector

Daniel Popescu (b. 1990) is a creator and connector who explores unusual links between art, technology and education. Besides his project management and teaching roles in the University of Art and Design in Cluj-Napoca, he is involved in the coordination of artistic direction for big scale festivals such as Lights On Romania, in numerous national cultural projects or community building campaigns. His actions are aimed towards improving collaboration between people in different fields and the integration of new technologies for a deeper understanding of the future.

EXPERIENCE

artistic director, curator

Lights On Romania (2018 – present)

Cluj Never Sleeps (2017 – 2019)

Quantum Questions (2019)

Transylvania International Music and Art Festival – TiMAF (2014)

project manager

Cultural and Community Programs Coordinator at the University of Art and Design in Cluj-Napoca (2014 – present) | Annual projects: Expo Maraton (2014 – present), Graduates’ Exhibition (2015 – present)

ArtiViStory / Artistic Visual Storytelling- creative documentation research project (2020 – present)

volunteer, representative, community builder

Vicepresident @ UniversitArt (2017 – present)

Vicepresident – Culture portfolio @ Youth Federation Cluj / FTC (2017 – 2021)

Vicepresident – International Affairs portfolio @ Romania Youth Council / CTR (2014 – 2016)

President @ University of Art and Design in Cluj-Napoca Student Union / ASUAD (2011 – 2014)

academic

Senior Lecturer in the Sculpture Department @ University of Art and Design in Cluj-Napoca (2023 – present)

Doctoral studies in the field of Visual Arts @ University of Art and Design in Cluj-Napoca (2014 – 2022)

Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Visual Arts – Photography, Video, Image Computer Processing @ University of Art and Design in Cluj-Napoca (2009 – 2012; 2012 – 2014)

artist

Recent exhibitions

Individual
“in[visible]”, installation, Crossrail Place Canary Wharf, Londra (Great Britain), during Canary Wharf Winter Lights Festival London 2023

“in[visible]”, installation, Leeds City Museum, Leeds (Great Britain), during Light Night Leeds Festival 2022

“in[visible]”, installation, Universitatea Tehnică de Construcții din București, during Lights On Romania Bucharest 2022

“in[visible]”, installation, The Office Cluj-Napoca, during Lights On Romania Cluj-Napoca 2022

Group
“Parliament of Silence”, performance and interactive installation with mediation process, Grand Palais Éphémère, Paris (France). Joint project with Ecole supérieure d’art et design de Saint-Etienne, exhibited during EuroFabrique, an initiative developed by the French EU Council Presidency 2022.

“Parliament of Silence”, installation, Biennale Internationale Design Saint-Étienne, 13th edition (France) 2022.

“Intertwined”, installation, Four Domes Pavillion – Museum of Contemporary Art in Wrocław (Poland), part of the Light As A Creative Tool: LAACT 3.0 Landscape programme during European Museum Night 2022.

“Parliamentary Ground”, installation, Nicodim Gallery during Romanian Design Week 2022 as part of New European Bauhaus, Bucharest. The project is a further development of the “Parliament of Silence” proposed in EuroFabrique, Paris.

Fields of Interest

ART
New Media, Light Art, Scenography | Networks and ecosystems development | Artistic direction | Artistic research

EDUCATION
Higher education | STEAM education | MOOC and mass education | Quality Assurance | Digital integration

MANAGEMENT
Cultural management | Festivals | Entrepreneurship

SUSTAINABILITY
Environmental protection | Youth empowerment | Community building