The Cosmic House

What The Cosmic House does

The Cosmic House Foundation is a private non-profit arts foundation established on July 2, 2021, in Cluj-Napoca, Transylvania, Romania, operating from a single physical venue at General Eremia Grigorescu 106. It supports both emerging and established artists across visual and performing arts, with a stated emphasis on cross-disciplinary programming that bridges photography, sculpture, ceramics, new media, fashion, theater, dance, and music. The foundation does not run a proprietary technology platform; its technical footprint is limited to a bilingual Romanian/English website and standard social media channels (Facebook, Instagram) used for promotion and documentation.

The foundation's revenue model is grant and project-funding based rather than transactional. The most clearly documented funding mechanism is EU co-funding via Erasmus Plus, including the 'Entrepreneurial Skills for Young Artists' project (2022-3-RO01-KA210-YOU-000094623), which underwrites artist residencies, cross-border exchanges, and workshops on entrepreneurship, marketing, and leadership. No ticketing, e-commerce, or pricing structure is disclosed; admissions to exhibitions and events are not described as paid. Recurring event series (Cosmic Fusion, Meta Form Days, Hypnoise Days, White Night of Galleries, Cosmic Connections) and artist residency programs anchor ongoing operations, executed by a 9-person team under co-founder Bogdan Gânscă and creative director Cătălin Bocîrnea.

The foundation serves a hybrid audience: emerging and established artists (primary), young people and art students including Ukrainian refugee children (secondary), and the general public attending exhibitions and performances. Distribution is exclusively physical and direct via the Cluj-Napoca venue plus partner-organization venues, supplemented by regional and international reach through Erasmus Plus collaborations with institutions in Hungary, Serbia, Poland, Italy, Belgium, Ukraine, and Germany. The organization operates without venture capital, private equity, or external investors, and has no disclosed subsidiaries or parent company.

Name

The Cosmic House

Legal name

The Cosmic House Foundation

Website

https://cosmichouse.foundation

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Cosmic House Foundation is a non-profit arts foundation in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, founded in 2021, that supports emerging and established visual and performing artists through exhibitions, artist residencies, recurring event series, and EU Erasmus Plus-funded training programs, serving artists, art students, and the general public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Foundation Services

NAICS

Museums (71211), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)

akta.pro primary industry

Cultural Centers & Community Cultural Organizations (BPAGAHAD)

Keywords

• Arts exhibitions
• Artist residencies
• Cultural programming
• Performing arts
• Arts foundation

Headquarters

HQ city

Cluj-napoca

HQ country

Romania

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant and Project Funding (Erasmus Plus): The foundation generates revenue through European Union co-funding (Erasmus Plus) for youth and arts education projects, including the 'Entrepreneurial Skills for Young Artists' program. This is the most clearly documented funding mechanism.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Cosmic House Foundation is a non-profit arts foundation based in Cluj-Napoca, Romania (Transylvania), that opened on July 2, 2021. It hosts visual and performing arts exhibitions, artist residencies, creative workshops, and Erasmus Plus educational programs, serving both local and international creative communities through free public programming.

Product overview

The Cosmic House Foundation operates as a unified arts organization offering a physical venue in Cluj-Napoca for exhibitions and performances, combined with recurring event programs including Cosmic Fusion, Meta Form Days, and Hypnoise Days. The foundation runs artist residency programs like Grandpa's Freestyled Fairy Story and educational programs through Erasmus Plus initiatives focused on entrepreneurial skills for young artists. All offerings are integrated through The Cosmic House venue as the central hub for artistic programming.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Visual Arts Exhibitions Curated visual arts exhibitions presented at the foundation's venue in Cluj-Napoca, open to local community members and cultural audiences, featuring both local and international artists.
• Performing Arts Events Performing arts presentations hosted at the foundation, providing a public platform for performance-based artistic work.
• Artist Residencies Structured residency opportunities hosted at the foundation for individual artists and creative practitioners, supporting creative development in a Transylvanian cultural setting.
• Creative Workshops Hands-on creative workshops offered by the foundation, supporting artistic skill development and community engagement for participants.
• Erasmus Plus Programs EU-funded Erasmus Plus educational programs coordinated by the foundation, connecting local participants with European arts and creative learning opportunities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Hosting of multiple annual exhibitions and events across disciplines
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Erasmus Plus (European Union)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022The foundation is a beneficiary of Erasmus Plus EU co-funding for youth and arts education projects, notably 'Entrepreneurial Skills for Young Artists' (2022-3-RO01-KA210-YOU-000094623). The program provides artist residencies in Cluj and Budapest, workshops on entrepreneurship, leadership, and marketing for artists, and cross-border artistic exchange with artists from Hungary, Serbia, Poland, Italy, Germany, Belgium, and Ukraine.
• Insula Creative HubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInsula Creative Hub is a recurring strategic collaborator on major events including Meta Form Days, Cosmic Fusion, and the theatrical performance '4.48 AM' (after Sarah Kane). The partnership involves co-creation of multi-disciplinary artistic events combining visual art, performance, soundscape, and new media installations, significantly expanding the scope and audience of both organizations.
• Mendel CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMendel Collective co-developed the Cosmic Fusion event series and collaborated on the 'Aproape vs. Departe' transgenerational exhibition with Eva Dolha, contributing performance and soundscape elements. The partnership is oriented toward cross-disciplinary artistic creation combining visual arts with live music and performance.
• Tothem ArtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTothem Art collaborated with The Cosmic House on the 'Paralysé' group exhibition (during White Night of Galleries) and the 'Find Your Own Gods' solo show by Victor Seiche, providing curatorial and organizational partnership for contemporary art events.
• Studio Cultural Cecălăca / CsekelakaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudio Cultural Cecălăca (Csekelaka) co-organized 'Cosmic Connections,' a rural artistic event bringing contemporary art to an idyllic countryside setting, expanding the foundation's programming beyond the urban venue into rural cultural exploration.
• OM Centru Coregrafic (Oana Mureșan)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOM Centru Coregrafic, led by Oana Mureșan, collaborated on the 'ATOM' performance during White Night of Galleries, exploring the intersection of the human body and music through contemporary dance.
• Cluj Shorts and Asociația PersonaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on the opening event of The Cosmic House (July 2021), presenting a selection of international short films and providing cinematic programming alongside the visual and performing arts.
• Vernisaj Moving HubminorOthersVernisaj Moving Hub provides hospitality and beverage services at Cosmic House events (Cosmic Fusion, opening event), creating a complete immersive experience for attendees. Their drinks are thematically aligned with each event's artistic concept.
• Hansen Ergonomics StudiominorOthersHansen Ergonomics Studio transformed the venue space at the opening event, providing ergonomic and stylish furnishings that contributed to the comfort and aesthetic of the inaugural event.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tranzit House: Eastern European cultural foundation network operating across Romania, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Austria. Comparable as an artist-led independent arts foundation with international exchange programs, European funding relationships, and community-driven cultural programming model.
• Pioneer Works: Independent cultural institution in Brooklyn, NY, combining artist residencies, exhibitions, performances, and educational programming. Comparable as a community-led non-profit arts foundation with a similar integrated residency, exhibition, and workshop programming model — though operating at significantly larger scale with permanent infrastructure.
• Paintbrush Factory (Fabrica de Pensule): Adaptive-reuse creative hub and artist studios in Cluj-Napoca, operating in the same city as Cosmic House. Comparable as a non-profit adjacent cultural venue hosting artist residencies and creative programming, and competing for the same local artistic talent and audiences.
• Insula Creative Hub: Independent arts and culture organization in Bucharest, Romania, co-creating multi-disciplinary events with Cosmic House (Meta Form Days, Cosmic Fusion, '4.48 AM' theatrical performance). Directly comparable as a contemporary arts hub in the Romanian ecosystem with co-development partnership model.

Broad incumbents

• MNAC Bucharest (National Museum of Contemporary Art): Romania's national museum of contemporary art, located in Bucharest. Comparable as a publicly-funded exhibition venue for contemporary Romanian art, but operates at much larger scale with permanent collection, larger team, and broader portfolio than Cosmic House's community-led venue model.
• Kunsthalle Wien: Major Viennese exhibition hall for contemporary art with international programming. Comparable as a Central European contemporary arts venue, but operates at institutional scale with city funding rather than Cosmic House's foundation/grant-funded independent model.
• MARe - Museum of Recent Art Bucharest: Private contemporary art museum in Bucharest featuring exhibitions of Romanian and international artists. Comparable as a contemporary art exhibition venue in Romania, but operates as a paid-admission museum rather than Cosmic House's free, grant-funded community cultural organization model.

Regional players

• Ludwig Museum - Museum of Contemporary Art Budapest: Major contemporary art museum in Budapest, partner destination for Cosmic House's Erasmus Plus residencies. Comparable as a Central European contemporary art institution, but operates as a permanent public collection rather than Cosmic House's event-driven community programming model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cosmichousegallery
• Instagraminstagram.com/thecosmichousegallery
• Xx.com/the_cosmichouse
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-cosmic-house

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Cosmic House