The “White on White” exhibition, organised by the Semne Cusute Association in partnership with the National Museum of the Romanian Peasant, is currently open to visitors in the museum’s New Gallery Hall.
Running until 13 September 2026, the exhibition invites visitors to view heritage and tradition from a different perspective. Beyond rituals, symbols and expressions of identity and status, it draws attention to an equally significant dimension of antique Romanian shirts: their practical aspects.
The choices made by the women who created these garments were often shaped by the constraints they faced. What we now describe as “inspiration” frequently emerged as a solution to practical challenges that are no longer part of everyday life. Like the painted frescoes of monasteries, the embroidery on these shirts was exposed to the elements and everyday wear, gradually affected by sunlight and water.
Just as stone endures in architecture and white marble is often all that remains of ancient sculptures, certain textile techniques withstand the passage of time through the distinctive textures they create. The story of white-thread embroidery on white fabric reveals how tradition remains alive—adapting, evolving and taking root, particularly when it provides solutions to practical needs.
The exhibition presents a selection of shirts from the collections of Horațiu Silviu Ilea and Ioana Corduneanu, representing different regions of Romania and dating from the interwar period. Visitors can also compare these garments with images of centuries-old textiles from Italy and England, offering a broader European perspective.
The research behind the exhibition was conducted by the Semne Cusute Association within the Horizon Europe Tracks4Crafts project. It explores the connections between Romanian shirts and Europe’s wider textile heritage, highlighting how traditional knowledge travels, evolves and forms part of a shared European story.
Whether white was chosen as a practical option or resulted from the fading of coloured thread, the exhibition offers a simple but powerful reflection: what is considered a village tradition today may once have been a fashion adopted from the city. The traditions of tomorrow are shaped by the choices we make today.
Visit the exhibition
Exhibition: “White on White”
Venue: New Gallery Hall, National Museum of the Romanian Peasant
Open until: 13 September 2026
Visiting hours: Wednesday–Sunday, 10:00–18:00
