The arts and culture season is in full swing.
If Kolkata and Shantiniketan is currently being wowed by the inaugural edition of the ambitious Bengal Biennale, and Chennai by the rich tapestry of art at the Madras Art Weekend, then Goa is gearing up for the 9th edition of the Serendipity Arts Festival, which has become a must in the calendar of culture connoisseurs.
As industrialist Sunil Kant Munjal, the founder patron of the interdisciplinary festival, that is being held in Panaji from December 15-22, says, “The Serendipity Arts Festival, which is South Asia’s largest multidisciplinary arts festival, cannot be explained. It has to be experienced.”
This year, the festival — supported by the Goa government among others and has several corporate patrons — features 1,800-plus artists and 200-plus projects, panels, workshops and public art interventions across 22 venues.
Some 13 curators are threading together various strands of the festival.
AI-driven projects
There is a lot going on for sure — from fun culinary projects like the intriguing climate-controlled dosa picnic basket and bring your own pickle to a seaweed tasting project, to design explorations by brands, craftsmanship, music, theatre, dance and films — all of which have an element involving the local Goan community.
This year, there is artificial intelligence as well in the shape of an AI Mini lab curated by Mathieu Wothke.
“AI is the new force shaking up the world. We like to remain current in our explorations. By introducing AI-driven projects, we aim to encourage artists and audiences alike to engage with these new possibilities that escape neat categorisation,” says Munjal.
going global
Munjal points out that at SAF, right from the first year, “we have done things that have a wider perspective beyond looking at a painting or seeing a theatre show.
“We have done programmes on science and art, art and health, on NFTs, crypto currency, and we are now bringing in stuff on artificial intelligence.”
Significantly enough, the SAF is going global next year.
The celebration of culture and creativity will be held at Birmingham from May 23 to June 1, 2025 in partnership with Birmingham City University. “We have had requests for many years from many countries to come in and bring the festival,” says Munjal, who is passionate about elevating India’s soft power. He adds, “England is is a very familiar place for many of us, with children or grandkids studying there. So it’s an easy place culturally for us to take on as the next outpost of the festival.”
