“Poland Meets Goa: A Cultural Bridge at Serendipity Arts Festival 2025”
As the Serendipity Arts Festival marks its landmark 10th anniversary edition in 2025, the Polish Institute in New Delhi joins the celebrations, signalling an important moment for deepening cultural dialogue between Poland and India. This participation opens pathways for long-term collaboration at both institutional and artistic levels, strengthening ties across contemporary art practices.
The presence of the Polish Institute at the 10th edition of the festival represents a significant step towards establishing a sustained Polish engagement with one of South Asia’s fastest-growing multidisciplinary arts festivals. Through the presentation of Polish artists across sculpture, music, and theatre, the initiative fosters opportunities for future residencies, joint productions, curatorial exchanges, and collaborative projects between the two countries.
Monumental Sculpture at the Art Park
Renowned Polish sculptor Tomasz Koclęga presents Suspensio Spiritualis (Spiritual Suspension) at the Art Park from 14–21 December 2025 (11:00 AM – 07:00 PM). A leading figure in contemporary figurative sculpture and Professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice, Koclęga is known for his expressive, monumental works that explore the human body as a site of emotional and spiritual tension.
At the festival, he showcases three striking white sculptures, each standing 2–3 metres tall and crafted in polyester resin. The works depict human figures interacting with oversized heads, symbolising intellect, consciousness, and spirituality. Set against the lush greenery of the Art Park, the sculptures create a powerful visual and contemplative experience. The exhibition is presented with the generous support of the Polish Institute, New Delhi.
Polish Jazz on the Global Stage
Polish improvised music takes centre stage with LIGHT STAR GUIDING, a Warsaw-based quartet, performing a live jazz concert on 15 December 2025 at the Art Park (09:00 PM – 10:00 PM). Active since 2018, the ensemble blends electro, trance, folk, and free jazz, channeling the raw energy of the 1970s into a contemporary soundscape.
The line-up features Ray Dickaty (tenor saxophone & flute), Mikołaj Poncyljusz (electric guitar), Michał Załęski (keyboards, Moog, bass), and Dominik Mokrzewski (drums). The concert forms part of the “Jazz Po Polsku – Around the World / Asia Stop” tour, co-funded by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of Poland and carried out by the JAZZ PO POLSKU Foundation, with support from the Polish Institute in New Delhi. The Panjim performance marks the conclusion of the band’s India tour.
Theatre, Technology, and Exchange at SEA
Leading Polish theatre director and multimedia artist Krzysztof Garbaczewski participates in the SEA – Serendipity Exchange for the Arts on 19–20 December 2025 (11:00 AM – 07:00 PM) at the Old GMC Complex. Known for his experimental approach and integration of theatre with video, VR, and immersive technologies, Garbaczewski brings a critical international perspective to the exchange.
SEA runs parallel to the Serendipity Arts Festival as a delegate programme designed to connect artists, curators, producers, and arts managers from across Asia and beyond. During the panels, Garbaczewski will engage in discussions on new technologies and immersive art practices, opening the door to the future creation of a Polish–Indian performance that incorporates AI and digital tools.
Together, these presentations underscore Poland’s dynamic contribution to Serendipity Arts Festival 2025, celebrating artistic excellence while laying the groundwork for enduring cultural collaboration between Poland and India.
NOTES TO EDITOR
About Polish Institute New Delhi
The Polish Institute established in New Delhi in June 2012, is a diplomatic mission, serving under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland. The Institute supports cooperation in the field of culture by organizing Polish-Indian projects & events that promote Polish Culture, Visual Arts, Designs, Films, Theater, Dance, architecture & Music in collaboration with Poland’s local partners and friends. The Institute expresses itself through contemporary projects built through cooperation with India’s leading talents and institutions, to contribute relevant programming within the cultural sector. Through shared professional exchanges, cultural understanding is nurtured to build a strong platform for on-going dialogue and exchange. Our main mission is to build and promote cultural exchange between Poland and India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives by presenting Polish culture, history and traditions to the audience of these countries.
About Serendipity Arts Festival
Serendipity Arts Festival transforms 300,000 square feet of iconic buildings and alternative spaces into South Asia’s premier multi-disciplinary cultural platform. Spanning visual, performing, and culinary arts alongside film, live arts, and literature, the Festival challenges status quo relationships—between art and viewer, city and citizen, proscenium and audience. Working within these dialectics, we foster conversations that strengthen cultural ecosystems and create human channels spreading impact across regions and generations. Having proven that cultural placemaking can transform cities, the Festival operates as a nomadic structure designed to adapt to any city and any stage. This cultural experiment supports artistic practice while demonstrating how culture cultivates empathetic leadership, teaches kindness, and builds the foundation for a safe, healthy, and progressive society.
Serendipity Arts
Serendipity Arts is a not-for-profit collaborative platform based in Delhi, fostering empathy, curiosity and cross-cultural dialogue by supporting emerging artists across South Asia. The Foundation’s aim is to nurture artistic practice, promote research, and provide sustainability and education in the field of the arts. Over the past decade, Serendipity Arts has encouraged cultural heritage projects alongside contemporary art practices with extensive residencies, grants, collaborative projects, art writing initiatives and a multi-disciplinary arts festival.
Awards & Recognition
Serendipity Arts and its leadership have garnered significant recognition for their contributions to culture and accessibility. Mr. Sunil Kant Munjal, Founder-Patron of Serendipity Arts, was conferred the Chevalier de l’Ordre national du Mérite by the French Government, in acknowledgment of his enduring commitment to arts and culture. As the visionary behind Serendipity Arts, he continues to build bridges between heritage and innovation, connecting India with the world. The Serendipity Arts Festival has received multiple accolades, including the Cultural Impact Award at the Business Goa Lifestyle Awards 2025 for its role in shaping Goa’s evolving cultural and creative landscape. The festival was also honored as Best Cultural Festival at the 8th Annual LCD Berlin Awards, reaffirming its position as a leader in cultural placemaking globally. Additionally, Serendipity Arts received the Svayam Accessibility Award 2025 in the Accessible Tourism & Culture category, recognizing its sustained efforts to create a truly inclusive, barrier-free cultural space.
The tenth edition of Serendipity Arts Festival is taking place in Panjim, Goa, from 12th-21st December, 2025.
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