'Partnership in the Language of Design': HSE University-St Petersburg Opens Russian-Indian Exhibition of Film Posters
At the Rope Shop building, the International Partners' Week featured the opening ceremony of the student exhibition of the international posters contest winners and finalists organised by the HSE University-St Petersburg School of Art and Design together with the Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (Indonesia). Designers and illustrators from two countries created alternative posters for Russian and Indonesian films.
The decision to hold the joint exhibition of HSE University-St Petersburg and the Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) was made at the International Partners' Days 2024. According to the agreements, Mitya Kharshak, dean of the St Petersburg School of Art and Design, and Ksenia Malich, academic supervisor of the master's programme 'Design', visited Indonesia during the international fashion week 'Creabiz'. The next step in this partnership was a jointly developed contest of film posters. The best works were presented at the International Partners' Week 2025.
When opening the exhibition, Anna Tyshetskaya, director of HSE University-St Petersburg, highlighted that the basis of any collaboration was the interested people.
'The Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember is our close friend. This exhibition is a great example of what a truly reliable cooperation between two universities. When there are active professors who are interested in creating educational projects for students and establishing trusting relationships between the partners. We organise such exhibitions for future generations. I hope that next year, we will open a new exhibition uniting everyone', underscored Anna Tyshetskaya.
Students from Russia and Indonesia had to create posters reflecting the essence of the films of the partner country. From the Indonesian side, there were horror films, and from ours—already classical ones like 'Brother', 'Night Watch', 'Piter FM' and others. According to the jury, the contest caused a stir among the students. There were more than 350 applications from two universities, and the total number of works exceeded a thousand. Many of them created quite extensive series which included 6-8 posters.
'The language of communication design is trans-border, understandable and accessible regardless of how many kilometres are between our countries. It's always interesting to engage in another culture. I couldn't imagine that in Indonesia, the industry of horror films is extremely developed. We offered our colleagues from ITS films which demonstrated a certain Russian cultural code and represented our country. This exhibition is a small step which, I hope, will entail a more extensive partnership', says Mitya Kharshak, dean of the St Petersburg School of Art and Design.
'We are happy to have such a partner as HSE University-St Petersburg. Our collaboration is important not only for the university but also for the country to expand the connections between people. Through the works, we get to know each other, develop empathy and create friendships. We already have a project for student exchange, international mobility. We also plan to promote joint research, among the plans is to sign the agreement on creating a mirror laboratory', underscored Agus Muhamad Hatta, Vice-Rector of Research, Innovation, Partnerships, and Alumni at the Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember.
The students approached the task with various styles and techniques. Among the contest jury were professors from both universities as well as experts and designers at the international level.
'It's important that students offer their own ideas without simply following the trends or a fashion style. In fact, communication design works with information. As the chairman of the jury, I chose original works. Such formats of international cooperation are amazing. We can move forward only when we understand that cooperation with partners is the key to everything', comments Felipe Taborda, designer, chairman of the jury.
The contest winners were Polina Dubich from HSE University-St Petersburg and Nisa Hanifah from the Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember. The students shared their emotions:
'I read a lot about the culture and mythology of Indonesia, historical details and carried out huge research. From the moment I found out about the contest, it was clear to me what the posters would look like—monumental, black and white, and silhouette things. At first, I worked with soft materials on paper and then created the final version in digital format.
Before the contest, I hadn't seen Indonesian films, so I was curious to watch all the offered films. They are completely different, they all have different styles.
It was interesting to immerse myself in the culture of another country, watch the films from a new perspective and share my impressions via the visual language', shares Polina Dubich, student of the continuing professional education programme 'Illustration' at the School of Art and Design. As a winner, she will go on an exchange to Indonesia and hold a workshop for Indonesian students.
'Seeing into the Russian culture was unusual and fun. I opted for 'Night Watch'. A thrilling film with outstanding characters and a plot. I had to rewatch the film several times and study the context to catch the vibe. I did some research and immediately started thinking about the future poster.
Usually, I draw on paper and then transfer it into digital format. But back then, my computer was broken, so I drew the poster on my phone. All my sketches and the final work were fully done on it.
This is an amazing opportunity to cooperate with HSE University-St Petersburg. I hope there will be similar contests in the future, and I'll be able to take part in them', shares Nisa Hanifah, 2nd-year student of the bachelor's programme 'Communication Design' at the Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember.
You may see the works of student designers at the International Partners' Week 2025.