bio

Adrian Balcău is an object designer, interior designer, and set designer.
He was born in 1989 in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. He began studying design at the Romul Ladea High School of Fine Arts, in the design department, where he represented the school in several national design competitions. He continued his studies, completing both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Art and Design, also in the design department, with a semester-long scholarship during his master’s studies at the University of Salford in Manchester, UK, where he deepened his knowledge in Communication Design.

Immediately after finishing his studies, he opened his own design studio, Adrian Balcău Studio, where he began creating lighting fixtures, bespoke furniture, installations, and small objects, which have been featured in numerous national and international exhibitions: Romanian Design Week 2014, 2015, 2018, 2021; the Re-Compus Group Exhibition at Carol 53, Bucharest, 2015; the Limited Edition Group Exhibition at Gallery 15 Design, Bucharest, 2015; the Play&Rewind Exhibition at ICR Stockholm, Stockholm Design Week 2015; Timaf Design Space Exhibition in Cluj-Napoca; BIFFE-SIM International Furniture Fair 2013-2019; his solo exhibition Enhanced Expressions at FerdinArt Gallery in Cluj-Napoca, 2012; and his solo exhibition Upside Down at Casa Matei in Cluj-Napoca, 2011.

He has also been featured in numerous Romanian and international publications such as Elle Decoration, Igloo, The Institute, Glamour, Decat O Revista, Contemporary Lynx, Dezeen.com, and more. One of his products was even featured on the cover of Elle Decoration in 2017. Another one of his products was included in the collection of 100 Romanian design objects in 100 years of Romania - 100romaniandesignobjects.com, as part of the Centennial celebration.

In 2017, he expanded his activities to interior design and has since created numerous spaces in Cluj-Napoca, including private apartments, restaurants, terraces, cafés, showrooms, and office lounges.

In 2015, he founded the Cluj Design Days event series, where he served as founder, art director, and curator. Cluj Design Days is a platform that promotes local designers through exhibitions, trade fairs, talks, fashion shows, and networking events. Starting with the 12th edition, Cluj Design Days also expanded to Timisoara Design Days, still under the artistic direction of Adrian Balcău. Today, Cluj Design Days has become a landmark event for both the local and national design scene.

Since 2019, he has been a contributor to the British art magazine Contemporary LYNX, for which he regularly writes articles on product and interior design at the international level.

In 2020, he began working in theater set design, starting with the play All the Things Alois Took from Me by Cosmin Stănilă, directed by Andrei Majeri, and produced by "Reactor" in Cluj-Napoca. In 2022, he created the set design and costumes for Blind Spot by Cosmin Stănilă and Ionuț Sociu, directed by Andrei Majeri and produced by the Serbian National Theater in Novi Sad. In 2023, he worked on the set design and costumes for the play La Academie by Alexandra Felseghi, directed by Andrei Majeri and produced by the Mihai Eminescu Theater in Botoșani, as well as the play Who Killed My Father?, dramatized by Mihaela Michailov from the novel of the same name by Édouard Louis, also directed by Andrei Majeri and produced by the Metropolis Theater in Bucharest, and How Mr. Gherase Fell in Love with Clara Smith by Cosmin Stănilă, directed by Doru Vătavului.