“Partnership in the Language of Design”: a Russian-Indonesian film poster exhibition opens at HSE University – St. Petersburg

As part of International Partners' Week, a student exhibition featuring the winners and finalists of an international poster competition opened in the new building of HSE University – St. Petersburg on Vasilievsky Island. The exhibition was organized by the HSE ART AND DESIGN SCHOOL – St. Petersburg in collaboration with the Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (Indonesia). Designers and illustrators from both countries created alternative posters offering visual interpretations of Russian and Indonesian films.

The decision to organize a joint exhibition between HSE University – St. Petersburg and the Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS) was made during International Partners' Week 2024. As part of the agreement, Mitya Kharshak, Dean of the HSE Art and Design School – St. Petersburg, and Ksenia Malich, Academic Director of the Master's programme in Design, visited Indonesia to take part in the international Creabiz Design Week. The partnership continued with the development of a collaborative format for a film poster competition. The best submissions are now on display at the IPW-2025 exhibition.

Opening the exhibition, Anna Tyshetskaya, Director of HSE University – St. Petersburg, emphasized that any successful collaboration begins with engaged and committed individuals.

"The Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology is our close partner. This exhibition is a vivid example of what truly reliable cooperation between two universities can look like—when there are active faculty members on both sides who are genuinely interested in creating educational projects for students and building trust-based relationships between institutions. We create exhibitions like this for future generations. And I hope that next year we will open another exhibition that brings everyone together," stressed Anna Tyshetskaya.

Students from Russia and Indonesia were tasked with creating posters that captured the essence of films from the partner country. Indonesian students worked with Russian cult classics such as Brother, Night Watch, and Piter FM, while Russian students explored the themes of Indonesian horror cinema. According to the jury, the competition generated great enthusiasm among participants. More than 350 applications were submitted from the two universities, and the total number of poster entries exceeded one thousand. Many students submitted extensive series consisting of six to eight posters each.

"The language of communication design transcends borders — it's clear and accessible, no matter how many kilometers separate our countries. It’s always fascinating to engage with another culture. I never imagined that Indonesia had such a highly developed horror film industry. We offered our colleagues from ITS films that carry a distinctly Russian cultural code and reflect our national identity. This exhibition is a small step that I hope will lead to broader and deeper collaboration," said Mitya Kharshak, Dean of the HSE ART AND DESIGN SCHOOL – St. Petersburg.

“We are glad to have a partner like HSE University – St. Petersburg. Our collaboration is important not only for the university, but also for the country, as it helps strengthen human connections across borders. Through creative work, we get to know each other, develop empathy, and build lasting friendships. We already have a student exchange project and international mobility initiatives. We also plan to promote joint research and are preparing to sign an agreement on the creation of a mirror laboratory,” emphasized Muhammad Hatta, Vice-Rector for Academic and Student Affairs at the Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology.

The students completed the task using a variety of styles and techniques. The jury consisted of teachers from both universities, along with international experts and designers.

“It is important that students present their own ideas rather than simply follow trends or fashion styles. Communication design fundamentally deals with conveying information. As chairman of the jury, I selected the most original works. Formats like this international cooperation are truly inspiring. Progress is possible only when we recognize that interaction with partners is key to everything,” noted Felipe Taborda, the jury chairman and designer.

The winners of the competition, Polina Dubich from HSE University – St. Petersburg and Nisa Hanifa from ITS, spoke about their experiences and creative processes:

“I read extensively about Indonesian culture and mythology, researched historical details, and did a lot of background work. From the moment I learned about the competition, I had a clear vision for the posters: monumental, black-and-white, and silhouette-based. Initially, I worked with soft materials on paper, then finalized the design digitally.

Before the competition, I hadn’t seen Indonesian cinema, so I watched all the featured films with great curiosity. Each one is completely different, with its own unique style.

I was fascinated by the opportunity to immerse myself in the art of another country, view cinema from a new perspective, and express my impressions through my own visual language,” shared Polina Dubich, a student in the additional education course “Illustration” at the HSE ART AND DESIGN SCHOOL – St. Petersburg. As the winner, she will participate in an exchange program in Indonesia and conduct workshops for Indonesian students there.

“It was unusual and fun to delve into Russian culture. I chose Night Watch — a gripping film with a vivid hero and plot. I had to watch it several times and study the context to capture the atmosphere. After some research, I immediately began planning the poster design.

I usually start drawing on paper and then move to digital, but my computer was broken at the time, so I created all my sketches and the final version entirely on my phone.

This is a great opportunity to collaborate with HSE University – St. Petersburg. I hope that in the future there will be similar competitions, and I will be able to take part in them again,” shared Nisa Hanifa, a 2nd-year bachelor’s student of the Communication Design program at the ITS.

The student designers’ works will be showcased at International Partners’ Week 2025.