Dracula, the well-known Parliament’s Palace in Bucharest, and several interior design or fashion items that can be considered kitsch have been nominated for the Romanian Kitsch Awards.

The nominations are split into five categories, namely historical and legendary kitsch, architecture and monuments, decorative art and interior design, culture and fashion, and media and digital.

While Elena Ceausescu, the wife of late communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, Dracula, and the Dacians are included in the historical and legendary kitsch category, the architecture and monuments section includes the Eiffel Tower copy in Slobozia, the Parliament’s Palace, and the Redemption Cathedral, which is currently being built in Bucharest.

Meanwhile, the decorative art and interior design category includes items Romanians used (and some are still using) to decorate their homes or gardens, such as the glass-made fish placed on the television set, the stuffed animals, or the decorative dwarfs placed in the garden.

Moreover, the selfies made in bathrooms and tabloid headlines made it in the media and digital categories.

The categories and nominations were drawn up by a committee made up of: Sergiu Vasile of Utopia Balcanica and Timesnewroman satirical publication; Mihai Popescu of VICE; copywriter Corina Bacanu; Cristian Simonca of Blogu’ lui Otrava; Ioana Manoiu, managing partner GMP Public Relations; and Cristian Lica, kitsch manager at the Romanian Kitsch Museum.

Voting will close on July 31. Those interested can vote online here.

Amid launching the Romanian Kitsch Awards, representatives of the Romanian Kitsch Museum announced that three persons stole one of the golden lions placed at the entry in the museum. The robbery took place on Sunday, July 16. (watch a video below)

“At first we thought somebody was disturbed by our contest and sent some vandals to shut our mouths. However, we don’t know who could do that,” said Cristian Lica, according to the announcement posted on the museum’s website. The representatives of the Kitsch Museum will also offer rewards to those who help them catch the thieves.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXhg1n4cTe0

The Romanian Kitsch Museum, which opened in Bucharest at the beginning of May, hosts some 200 exhibits that come from the personal collection of its owner Cristian Lica. His investment in the new cultural destination amounts to more than EUR 15,000.

Irina Marica, irina.marica@romania-insider.com