Serendipity Arts Festival, which is scheduled to host its 6th physical edition from the 15&nbsp;to the 23&nbsp;of December 2023, in Panaji, Goa, has today announced its lineup of curators for the upcoming edition. The festival is getting ready to celebrate the arts of the South Asian region with a diverse line-up of interdisciplinary projects and initiatives conceptualised by a panel of distinguished curators spanning across the performing, visual, culinary arts, and craft.&nbsp;

Sandeep Kumar Sangaru and Anjana Somany will be curating the section on craft and bring forth varied crafts practices that blend traditional and contemporary practice. Quasar Thakore Padamsee who curated last year’s theatre section of the festival is back to helm the theatre segment of the festival that will showcase an eclectic selection of plays. Food is closely linked with festivities and is an indispensable element of the festival, and for this edition, Chef Thomas Zacharias and The Locavore Team, will curate the important culinary quotient of Serendipity Arts Festival through a gastronomical journey that ties people and cultures.

Bickram Ghosh, who has curated the previous edition of the festival, along with Ricky Kej will curate the music section with a wide range of concerts covering diverse genres and addressing various social-cultural ideas and topics. Geeta Chandran and Mayuri Upadhya will put together classical, experimental and contemporary dance performances and workshops. Visual Arts curators for this edition will be Veeranganakumari Solanki and Vidya Shivdas.

Speaking about the festival, its role in facilitating cultural collaborations and welcoming the curators,&nbsp;Sunil Kant Munjal, Founder &amp; Patron, Serendipity Arts and Founder of THE BRIJ, said, “South Asia’s unparalleled cultural richness has been shaped by multiple influences over the centuries. While being an amalgam of many, our arts &amp; culture still have their own unique richness. We are lining up top-notch curators and collaborators for the upcoming Serendipity Arts Festival (SAF) in Goa this December as part of our journey to capture South Asia’s richness and diversity, and blend these with the best global art practices. While looking at multiple art forms we also investigate and present the inter-disciplinarity of the many art forms- broadly through visual, performing, culinary and performance arts.”&nbsp;

The 6th physical edition of the festival will also feature a set of special curators including Zubin Balaporia (Music), Vikram Iyanger (Dance), Elizabeth Yorke &amp; Anusha Murthy with Edible Issues, who be the special curators for culinary arts. while Bhagyashree Patwardhan will return to curate a project around local Goan design practices. There might be additions to the list of special curators, closer to the festival.

Smriti Rajgarhia, Director, Serendipity Arts Foundation and Festival, said, “We are happy to announce our new line-up of curators for the Serendipity Arts Festival 2023, who will help us in re-imagining the arts and will be creating an array of projects that are engaging, inclusive and immersive, prompting the public to think beyond the white cube and proscenium spaces”.

The festival is an amalgamation of creative collaborations with cultural institutions and cultural departments of foreign embassies. In addition to Institut Français (India), Pro Helvetia, and the British Council as project partners, the festival is expecting to showcase more projects brought in collaboration with other cultural institutions.

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Serendipity Arts Festival, which is scheduled to host its 6th physical edition from the 15 to the 23 of December 2023, in Panaji, Goa, has today announced its lineup of curators for the upcoming edition.

Serendipity Arts Festival, which is scheduled to host its 6th physical edition from the 15 to the 23 of December 2023, in Panaji, Goa, has today announced its lineup of curators for the upcoming edition. The festival is getting ready to celebrate the arts of the South Asian region with a diverse line-up of interdisciplinary projects and initiatives conceptualised by a panel of distinguished curators spanning across the performing, visual, culinary arts, and craft. Sandeep Kumar Sangaru and Anjana Somany will be curating the section on craft and bring forth varied crafts practices that blend traditional and contemporary practice. Quasar Thakore Padamsee who curated last year’s theatre section of the festival is back to helm the theatre segment of the festival that will showcase an eclectic selection of plays. Food is closely linked with festivities and is an indispensable element of the festival, and for this edition, Chef Thomas Zacharias and The Locavore Team, will curate the important culinary quotient of Serendipity Arts Festival through a gastronomical journey that ties people and cultures. Bickram Ghosh, who has curated the previous edition of the festival, along with Ricky Kej will curate the music section with a wide range of concerts covering diverse genres and addressing various social-cultural ideas and topics. Geeta Chandran and Mayuri Upadhya will put together classical, experimental and contemporary dance performances and workshops. Visual Arts curators for this edition will be Veeranganakumari Solanki and Vidya Shivdas. Speaking about the festival, its role in facilitating cultural collaborations and welcoming the curators, Sunil Kant Munjal, Founder & Patron, Serendipity Arts and Founder of THE BRIJ, said, “South Asia’s unparalleled cultural richness has been shaped by multiple influences over the centuries. While being an amalgam of many, our arts & culture still have their own unique richness. We are lining up top-notch curators and collaborators for the upcoming Serendipity Arts Festival (SAF) in Goa this December as part of our journey to capture South Asia’s richness and diversity, and blend these with the best global art practices. While looking at multiple art forms we also investigate and present the inter-disciplinarity of the many art forms- broadly through visual, performing, culinary and performance arts.” The 6th physical edition of the festival will also feature a set of special curators including Zubin Balaporia (Music), Vikram Iyanger (Dance), Elizabeth Yorke & Anusha Murthy with Edible Issues, who be the special curators for culinary arts. while Bhagyashree Patwardhan will return to curate a project around local Goan design practices. There might be additions to the list of special curators, closer to the festival. Smriti Rajgarhia, Director, Serendipity Arts Foundation and Festival, said, “We are happy to announce our new line-up of curators for the Serendipity Arts Festival 2023, who will help us in re-imagining the arts and will be creating an array of projects that are engaging, inclusive and immersive, prompting the public to think beyond the white cube and proscenium spaces”. The festival is an amalgamation of creative collaborations with cultural institutions and cultural departments of foreign embassies. In addition to Institut Français (India), Pro Helvetia, and the British Council as project partners, the festival is expecting to showcase more projects brought in collaboration with other cultural institutions. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Serendipity Arts Festival announces its curators for December 2023

After a successful first edition of the Serendipity Arles Grant, the largest of its kind for lens-based practitioners in South Asia is back with its second chapter. As an ongoing exercise to strengthen regional cooperation on the foundation of the strong Indo-French bilateral relations through cultural exchange, Serendipity Arts Foundation and Les Rencontres d’Arles announced the second chapter of the biggest photography, video and new media grant, supported by the Embassy of France in India, with the shared purpose of promoting cultural practices in South Asia.

The winning grant amount this year has been set to INR 12,00,000 rupees (approximately 15,000 euros) and will support lens-based practitioners from South Asian countries, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The initiative seeks not only to empower artists from the region, but also further a spirit of regional cooperation and representation.

The open call for entries began on January 30, 2023, and the applications will be accepted through the social media handles of the Serendipity Arts Foundation, Les Rencontres d’Arles and the Embassy of France in India. The process of receiving applications will close on March 15.

Welcoming the second edition of the Serendipity Arles Grant, Mr. Sunil Kant Munjal, Founder &amp; Patron, Serendipity Arts and Founder of THE BRIJ, said, “This grant, is the coming together of Serendipity Arts and Rencontres d’Arles to jointly support lens-based practitioners and to promote the diverse creative expressions of the South Asian region. The first edition of the grant showed us the possibilities emerging from this association and we hope that our continuing support of the second edition will show our commitment to back and support artists from the region and help promote their work on a global scale.”

All information about the grant, eligibility and application is available on the Serendipity Arts Foundation website.

After a successful first edition of the Serendipity Arles Grant, the largest of its kind for lens-based practitioners in South Asia is back with its second chapter.

After a successful first edition of the Serendipity Arles Grant, the largest of its kind for lens-based practitioners in South Asia is back with its second chapter. As an ongoing exercise to strengthen regional cooperation on the foundation of the strong Indo-French bilateral relations through cultural exchange, Serendipity Arts Foundation and Les Rencontres d’Arles announced the second chapter of the biggest photography, video and new media grant, supported by the Embassy of France in India, with the shared purpose of promoting cultural practices in South Asia. The winning grant amount this year has been set to INR 12,00,000 rupees (approximately 15,000 euros) and will support lens-based practitioners from South Asian countries, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The initiative seeks not only to empower artists from the region, but also further a spirit of regional cooperation and representation. The open call for entries began on January 30, 2023, and the applications will be accepted through the social media handles of the Serendipity Arts Foundation, Les Rencontres d’Arles and the Embassy of France in India. The process of receiving applications will close on March 15. Welcoming the second edition of the Serendipity Arles Grant, Mr. Sunil Kant Munjal, Founder & Patron, Serendipity Arts and Founder of THE BRIJ, said, “This grant, is the coming together of Serendipity Arts and Rencontres d’Arles to jointly support lens-based practitioners and to promote the diverse creative expressions of the South Asian region. The first edition of the grant showed us the possibilities emerging from this association and we hope that our continuing support of the second edition will show our commitment to back and support artists from the region and help promote their work on a global scale.” All information about the grant, eligibility and application is available on the Serendipity Arts Foundation website.

Serendipity Arles Grant 2023-24 is back with its second edition

Serendipity Arts Festival was awarded the Best Cultural Festival award in the traveller’s award segment at the 8th Annual LCD Berlin Awards 2021-22.

What is considered as the Oscars for cultural destinations by The New York Times, this award is in acknowledgement of the Serendipity Arts Festival’s diverse programming and positive impact it has on the arts and culture eco-system and the tourism of the region. The award highlights the world's best established and emerging cultural destinations.&nbsp;

The winners range from grassroots local organisations to renowned national institutions and cultural super brands.

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Speaking about the recognition, Mr. Sunil Kant Munjal, Founder Patron, Serendipity Arts, said,“What we do at the festival showcases the coming together of creative, artistic and brilliant minds which uphold the diversity of our shared cultural heritage and expression. As the organisers of this multidisciplinary arts festival, we look to ensure that art practices from across the nation and the region of South Asia are well represented and celebrated with equal enthusiasm. We are happy to have received the award for Best Cultural Destination and would take the opportunity to acknowledge and congratulate the entire team at Serendipity Arts for putting in the work to make this possible”.&nbsp;

<img alt="serendipity" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="f0d203c4-753e-4cf3-8936-33e998ba161a" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/New-33.jpg" />

On behalf of LCD BERLIN, Florian Wupperfeld, Founder of Leading Culture Destinations, said, "Congratulations to the outstanding cultural destinations of the 2021/22 LCD BERLIN Award winners. These Awards offer an opportunity to celebrate creativity, culture, digital experiences and innovation, highlighting the most notable emerging and established cultural destinations across the globe while connecting arts and tourism. LCD BERLIN would also like to thank our distinguished international jury and our collaborating partners, Berlin's Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises, Korn Ferry, Lord Cultural Resources, SUNx, and all of our remarkable nominees——who are shaping culture worldwide, many who have shifted from physical locations to hybrid digital experiences as the pandemic has shown us that we need to rethink how we engage with destinations."

Over the years, the LCD Awards has offered a unique platform for the winners to showcase their cultural assets and reach global travellers wishing to immerse themselves in arts and culture.&nbsp;

Serendipity Arts Festival was awarded the Best Cultural Festival award in the traveller’s award segment at the 8th Annual LCD Berlin Awards 2021-22. What is considered as the Oscars for cultural destinations by The New York Times, this award is in acknowledgement of the Serendipity Arts Festival’s diverse programming and positive impact it has on the arts and culture eco-system and the tourism of the region.

Serendipity Arts Festival was awarded the Best Cultural Festival award in the traveller’s award segment at the 8th Annual LCD Berlin Awards 2021-22. What is considered as the Oscars for cultural destinations by The New York Times, this award is in acknowledgement of the Serendipity Arts Festival’s diverse programming and positive impact it has on the arts and culture eco-system and the tourism of the region. The award highlights the world's best established and emerging cultural destinations. The winners range from grassroots local organisations to renowned national institutions and cultural super brands. Speaking about the recognition, Mr. Sunil Kant Munjal, Founder Patron, Serendipity Arts, said,“What we do at the festival showcases the coming together of creative, artistic and brilliant minds which uphold the diversity of our shared cultural heritage and expression. As the organisers of this multidisciplinary arts festival, we look to ensure that art practices from across the nation and the region of South Asia are well represented and celebrated with equal enthusiasm. We are happy to have received the award for Best Cultural Destination and would take the opportunity to acknowledge and congratulate the entire team at Serendipity Arts for putting in the work to make this possible”. On behalf of LCD BERLIN, Florian Wupperfeld, Founder of Leading Culture Destinations, said, "Congratulations to the outstanding cultural destinations of the 2021/22 LCD BERLIN Award winners. These Awards offer an opportunity to celebrate creativity, culture, digital experiences and innovation, highlighting the most notable emerging and established cultural destinations across the globe while connecting arts and tourism. LCD BERLIN would also like to thank our distinguished international jury and our collaborating partners, Berlin's Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises, Korn Ferry, Lord Cultural Resources, SUNx, and all of our remarkable nominees——who are shaping culture worldwide, many who have shifted from physical locations to hybrid digital experiences as the pandemic has shown us that we need to rethink how we engage with destinations." Over the years, the LCD Awards has offered a unique platform for the winners to showcase their cultural assets and reach global travellers wishing to immerse themselves in arts and culture.

Serendipity Arts Festival awarded the best cultural festival at the LCD BERLIN Awards 2022

Serendipity Arts Foundation has selected the two residents for the Serendipity Arts Residency from across a number of applications received through an open call. A large number of culinary arts practitioners, researchers and enthusiasts from across the country applied for Food Lab, Serendipity Arts Foundation’s residency on Culinary Arts.&nbsp;

The residency is a three-month programme based out of New Delhi, India. The two selected residents are Tansha Vohra and Sharanya Deepak.&nbsp;

Tansha’s project is set to revolve around opportunities that the future might present us with in the form of alternate proteins. In&nbsp;hindsight, it aims to address the looming food crisis, the world in all probability might experience in the near future. The project intends to create a digital exploration of entomophagy in India or the practice of eating insects.

Sharanya’s project ventures into food histories and reflects on the resourcefulness of&nbsp;people who have faced natural and man-made famines, employing ingenuity to source&nbsp;alternative food items. Her proposal aims to study each of these events as a part of food history, think of their relevance in the present-day, and approach the concept of hunger in a&nbsp;sensitive and reflective way, focussing on the agency and intelligence of those affected that&nbsp;rendered survival against all odds.

Starting from August 16 to November 15, &nbsp;the residency spans a three-month period.&nbsp;

The Food Lab will run as a hybrid residency model which is part virtual and part physical, if conditions permit, with an outcome being showcased at the Serendipity Arts&nbsp;Foundation’s office in New Delhi later in 2021.&nbsp;

Congratulating the selected residents of the new culinary arts residency, Smriti&nbsp;Rajgarhia, Director, Serendipity Arts Foundation &amp; Festival said, “We received interesting and&nbsp;well-conceived proposals for the residency from across the country, and we are happy with the&nbsp;final selection of the two residents for Food Lab. As a Foundation, we have always believed in creating platforms and facilitating dialogue and opportunities through the arts. With such initiatives, we hope to empower creative expressions from the South Asia region, in a recurring manner.”

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the Foundation has been working on developing&nbsp;innovative outreach models that support the arts &amp; culture eco-system, empowering the artists with the tools and training to use and access digital platforms to showcase and reimagine their diverse and multi-disciplinary practices.

Along with these initiatives, the Foundation has been giving out grants to artists from the South Asian region, to sustain the arts production of the region.&nbsp;

Serendipity Arts Foundation has selected the two residents for the Serendipity Arts Residency from across a number of applications received through an open call.

Serendipity Arts Foundation has selected the two residents for the Serendipity Arts Residency from across a number of applications received through an open call. A large number of culinary arts practitioners, researchers and enthusiasts from across the country applied for Food Lab, Serendipity Arts Foundation’s residency on Culinary Arts. The residency is a three-month programme based out of New Delhi, India. The two selected residents are Tansha Vohra and Sharanya Deepak. Tansha’s project is set to revolve around opportunities that the future might present us with in the form of alternate proteins. In hindsight, it aims to address the looming food crisis, the world in all probability might experience in the near future. The project intends to create a digital exploration of entomophagy in India or the practice of eating insects. Sharanya’s project ventures into food histories and reflects on the resourcefulness of people who have faced natural and man-made famines, employing ingenuity to source alternative food items. Her proposal aims to study each of these events as a part of food history, think of their relevance in the present-day, and approach the concept of hunger in a sensitive and reflective way, focussing on the agency and intelligence of those affected that rendered survival against all odds. Starting from August 16 to November 15, the residency spans a three-month period. The Food Lab will run as a hybrid residency model which is part virtual and part physical, if conditions permit, with an outcome being showcased at the Serendipity Arts Foundation’s office in New Delhi later in 2021. Congratulating the selected residents of the new culinary arts residency, Smriti Rajgarhia, Director, Serendipity Arts Foundation & Festival said, “We received interesting and well-conceived proposals for the residency from across the country, and we are happy with the final selection of the two residents for Food Lab. As a Foundation, we have always believed in creating platforms and facilitating dialogue and opportunities through the arts. With such initiatives, we hope to empower creative expressions from the South Asia region, in a recurring manner.” Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the Foundation has been working on developing innovative outreach models that support the arts & culture eco-system, empowering the artists with the tools and training to use and access digital platforms to showcase and reimagine their diverse and multi-disciplinary practices. Along with these initiatives, the Foundation has been giving out grants to artists from the South Asian region, to sustain the arts production of the region.

Serendipity Arts Foundation announces its finalists for Arts Residency in Culinary Arts

In a quest to strengthen regional cooperation on the foundation of the strong Indo-French bilateral relations through cultural exchange, Serendipity Arts Foundation and Les Rencontres d’Arles announced today the biggest photography, video and new media grant, supported by the Embassy of France in India, named the Serendipity Arles Grant, with the shared purpose of promoting cultural practices in South Asia.&nbsp;

The grant of 12,00,000 rupees will support lens-based practitioners from South Asian countries, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The initiative seeks not only to empower artists from the region, but also further a spirit of regional cooperation and representation.

The open call for entries had begun from the 15th of April 2020, through the social media handles of the Serendipity Arts Foundation, Les Rencontres d’Arles and the Embassy of France in India, will close the process of receiving applications on the 7th of July 2020.&nbsp;

The valid applications for the grant received within this deadline will be shortlisted by a distinguished jury.

Acknowledging the Foundation’s position as a portal into South Asia’s cultural landscape, representing some of the best artists from the region, Sunil Kant Munjal, Founder Patron, Serendipity Arts Foundation, said, “Serendipity Arts Foundation was set up to energize the arts, spur creativity and to empower artists. Besides hosting the impactful and path-breaking Serendipity Arts Festival, the Foundation has supported the arts and artists of South Asia through residency programmes and grants. The collaboration with Rencontres d’Arles will strengthen our resolve to back and support artists from the region and help promote their work on a global platform”.

Highlighting the importance of this collaboration Sam Stourdzé, Director, Rencontres d’Arles, said, “Rencontres d’Arles is delighted to team up with the Serendipity Arts Festival, a major player on India’s art scene. Today our festival would like to acknowledge that India and the South Asia region have become a breeding ground of creation. Each year, 10 young photographers and a winner will be selected, funded and their work exhibited, strengthening the ties between our countries and, especially, shining a spotlight on the artists”.&nbsp;

The largest of its kind, the grant will be awarded in two stages. Upon receipt of applications for the grant within this deadline a distinguished jury comprising artists, authors, Foundation directors, and eminent personalities from diverse artistic domains, will review the proposals and shortlist 10 artists. The first stage will recognise and support 10 artists with a grant of 70,000 rupees (approximately 800 euros). Along with receiving a part of the grant, these ten shortlisted candidates will also be given the opportunity to showcase their work at the upcoming edition of the Serendipity Arts Festival, scheduled to take place later in the year in Goa, India.&nbsp;

Finally, at the festival,the same jury will unanimously declare the finalist, from amongst the ten previously shortlisted artists, who would then receive a grant of 12 Lakh rupees (approximately 15,000 euros) to develop the project and show the final presentation at Rencontres d'Arles, France, in 2022.

Welcoming the grant, Emmanuel Lenain, Ambassador of France to India, said, “Art and culture are at the core of the relationship between India and France. In these difficult times, I applaud these two key contributors for enriching the cultural landscapes of their respective countries through this long term collaboration. The Serendipity Arles Grant will make it possible to exhibit the works of one young artist of the region every year at the Rencontres d'Arles, a foremost photo festival of international repute. This will be a powerful testament to the vitality of Indo-French cultural relations.”

In a quest to strengthen regional cooperation on the foundation of the strong Indo-French bilateral relations through cultural exchange, Serendipity Arts Foundation and Les Rencontres d’Arles announced today the biggest photography, video and new media grant, supported by the Embassy of France in India, named the Serendipity Arles Grant, with the shared purpose of promoting cultural practices in South Asia.

In a quest to strengthen regional cooperation on the foundation of the strong Indo-French bilateral relations through cultural exchange, Serendipity Arts Foundation and Les Rencontres d’Arles announced today the biggest photography, video and new media grant, supported by the Embassy of France in India, named the Serendipity Arles Grant, with the shared purpose of promoting cultural practices in South Asia. The grant of 12,00,000 rupees will support lens-based practitioners from South Asian countries, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The initiative seeks not only to empower artists from the region, but also further a spirit of regional cooperation and representation. The open call for entries had begun from the 15th of April 2020, through the social media handles of the Serendipity Arts Foundation, Les Rencontres d’Arles and the Embassy of France in India, will close the process of receiving applications on the 7th of July 2020. The valid applications for the grant received within this deadline will be shortlisted by a distinguished jury. Acknowledging the Foundation’s position as a portal into South Asia’s cultural landscape, representing some of the best artists from the region, Sunil Kant Munjal, Founder Patron, Serendipity Arts Foundation, said, “Serendipity Arts Foundation was set up to energize the arts, spur creativity and to empower artists. Besides hosting the impactful and path-breaking Serendipity Arts Festival, the Foundation has supported the arts and artists of South Asia through residency programmes and grants. The collaboration with Rencontres d’Arles will strengthen our resolve to back and support artists from the region and help promote their work on a global platform”. Highlighting the importance of this collaboration Sam Stourdzé, Director, Rencontres d’Arles, said, “Rencontres d’Arles is delighted to team up with the Serendipity Arts Festival, a major player on India’s art scene. Today our festival would like to acknowledge that India and the South Asia region have become a breeding ground of creation. Each year, 10 young photographers and a winner will be selected, funded and their work exhibited, strengthening the ties between our countries and, especially, shining a spotlight on the artists”. The largest of its kind, the grant will be awarded in two stages. Upon receipt of applications for the grant within this deadline a distinguished jury comprising artists, authors, Foundation directors, and eminent personalities from diverse artistic domains, will review the proposals and shortlist 10 artists. The first stage will recognise and support 10 artists with a grant of 70,000 rupees (approximately 800 euros). Along with receiving a part of the grant, these ten shortlisted candidates will also be given the opportunity to showcase their work at the upcoming edition of the Serendipity Arts Festival, scheduled to take place later in the year in Goa, India. Finally, at the festival,the same jury will unanimously declare the finalist, from amongst the ten previously shortlisted artists, who would then receive a grant of 12 Lakh rupees (approximately 15,000 euros) to develop the project and show the final presentation at Rencontres d'Arles, France, in 2022. Welcoming the grant, Emmanuel Lenain, Ambassador of France to India, said, “Art and culture are at the core of the relationship between India and France. In these difficult times, I applaud these two key contributors for enriching the cultural landscapes of their respective countries through this long term collaboration. The Serendipity Arles Grant will make it possible to exhibit the works of one young artist of the region every year at the Rencontres d'Arles, a foremost photo festival of international repute. This will be a powerful testament to the vitality of Indo-French cultural relations.”

Serendipity Arts Foundation and Rencontres d’Arles announces the largest grant for lens-based practitioners in South Asia

Serendipity Arts Festival, one of India’s biggest multidisciplinary arts initiative, announced the line-up of curators for its fourth edition. The festival is curated across seven disciplines - craft, music, theatre, dance, culinary arts, visual arts and photography and will run from 15 - 22 December 2019 in Panaji, Goa.

The line-up of curators for 2019 includes, Craft: Pramod KG, Music: Aneesh Pradhan and Sneha Khanwalkar, Theatre: Atul Kumar and Arundhati Nag, Dance: Leela Samson and Mayuri Upadhyaya, Culinary Arts: Rahul Akerkar and Prahlad Sukhtankar, Visual Arts: Dr. Jyotindra Jain and Sudarshan Shetty, Photography: Rahaab Allana and Ravi Agarwal.

There will also be a range of special projects across disciplines curated by St+art India Foundation, Vidya Shivadas, Anurupa Roy and Nancy Adajania, among others.

On the festival, Sunil Kant Munjal, Founder, Serendipity Arts Foundation, said, “The Fourth edition of the festival will continue to challenge and engage diverse audiences from Goa, India and from around the world. Celebrating the arts, encouraging dialogue between the disciplines and honouring the country’s rich heritage of culinary, visual and performing arts, our goal is to foster cultural growth and facilitate contemporary art practice. Conceived as a long-term platform creating tangible change across the country’s cultural landscape, we aim to make the arts inclusive, educational and accessible.”

As a non-profit organisation with a vision for supporting artistic practices, awareness and production across South Asia, Serendipity Arts Foundation promotes and creates platforms for creativity and provides the wider public with access to contemporary art and culture. A collaborative platform for the arts, the Festival seeks to create a sustainable environment for the arts that engenders change across the South Asian cultural spectrum.&nbsp;

Serendipity Arts Festival, one of India’s biggest multidisciplinary arts initiative, announced the line-up of curators for its fourth edition. The festival is curated across seven disciplines - craft, music, theatre, dance, culinary arts, visual arts and photography and will run from 15 - 22 December 2019 in Panaji, Goa.

Serendipity Arts Festival, one of India’s biggest multidisciplinary arts initiative, announced the line-up of curators for its fourth edition. The festival is curated across seven disciplines - craft, music, theatre, dance, culinary arts, visual arts and photography and will run from 15 - 22 December 2019 in Panaji, Goa. The line-up of curators for 2019 includes, Craft: Pramod KG, Music: Aneesh Pradhan and Sneha Khanwalkar, Theatre: Atul Kumar and Arundhati Nag, Dance: Leela Samson and Mayuri Upadhyaya, Culinary Arts: Rahul Akerkar and Prahlad Sukhtankar, Visual Arts: Dr. Jyotindra Jain and Sudarshan Shetty, Photography: Rahaab Allana and Ravi Agarwal. There will also be a range of special projects across disciplines curated by St+art India Foundation, Vidya Shivadas, Anurupa Roy and Nancy Adajania, among others. On the festival, Sunil Kant Munjal, Founder, Serendipity Arts Foundation, said, “The Fourth edition of the festival will continue to challenge and engage diverse audiences from Goa, India and from around the world. Celebrating the arts, encouraging dialogue between the disciplines and honouring the country’s rich heritage of culinary, visual and performing arts, our goal is to foster cultural growth and facilitate contemporary art practice. Conceived as a long-term platform creating tangible change across the country’s cultural landscape, we aim to make the arts inclusive, educational and accessible.” As a non-profit organisation with a vision for supporting artistic practices, awareness and production across South Asia, Serendipity Arts Foundation promotes and creates platforms for creativity and provides the wider public with access to contemporary art and culture. A collaborative platform for the arts, the Festival seeks to create a sustainable environment for the arts that engenders change across the South Asian cultural spectrum.

Serendipity Arts Festival embarks on its fourth edition, announces curators list

One of the most elaborative celebrations of arts and culture, Serendipity Arts Festival 2018 drew its curtains last night after running for eight days in the capital city of Goa.

Padma Shri Arundhati Nag, Indian film and theatre actress who is the proud recipient of a National Film Award and Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, was a theatre curator for the festival. In an exclusive chat with WION, she spoke of bringing a UNESCO recognised theatre tradition of Kerala to the festival, addressing important issues on the stage, need for theatre for kids and why films will survive in the age of digital streaming platforms.

Arundhati, on her time at the festival said, “Serendipity did something very clever -- that is, select people who have actually spent a lifetime in their individual arts to curate for them. They&nbsp;didn’t give us a brief. There was so much of freedom. Otherwise I feel it might have been claustrophobic if someone said bring only traditional Indian work or westernised work.”

The actress&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/entertainment/atul-kumar-reveals-details-of-role-in-the-accidental-prime-minister-why-he-prefers-theatre-over-films-185732">co-curated the theatre section&nbsp;with fellow artist, Atul Kumar.</a> On sharing work with him, she said, “My co-curator is Atul Kumar, himself a very fine director and actor. He curated more of the emerging trends in global theatre -- linear, non-linear, verbal -- where the lines are blurring between dance and theatre.”

Striking a balance between traditional-modern stories, the theatre veteran, meanwhile brought in shows that have an old-world charm. She said, “I really looked at three ways of telling Mahabharata. One is a 2000-year-old way called ‘Heritage Of Humanity’ by UNESCO. It is the only performance-art-practice, which has been in continuum for 2000 years -- Koodiyattam from Kerala.”

<img alt="arundhati nag" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="ae1119b7-17b8-4d5a-8296-e848e6fa07d2" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/New-30.jpg" />

“We have another play, again a 2000-year-old tradition of telling ‘Mahabharata’ through a dramatized puppetry show in Koodiyattam style.”

“The third is ‘Akshayambara’, that is, looking at how patriarchy has helped sway over traditional art practices.” It explores the representation of the feminine within the male-dominated practice of 'Yakshagana'. This, after a woman entered the profession to perform in which&nbsp;only men did for the last 800 years.

Arundhati explained that 'Yakshagana' always had men play both men and women: “In this bastion of male domination, comes a woman who has learnt the art and wants to play Arjuna. Draupadi, who is played traditionally by a woman, is played a man here while this girl from Bengaluru who went and learned Yakshagana plays Arjuna. The play shows their natural differences that come up&nbsp;-- role reversal in many ways.”

<img alt="arundhati nag" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="7a45e35b-979b-41c8-ad46-f18d09a35c41" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/New-31.jpg" />

An artist herself who has been associated with several theatre groups, Arundhati, spoke about the need for theatre for children as she feels that “we make little art for our children. They can see better than us, hear better than us but all the art form that we produce for them is loud, multi-coloured and huge as if they are blind.”

“Science has proven that the human brain grows the most between the ages of 0-5. This is the age when everything is an event in the child’s life. We need to make good pieces of art available for that,” she said.

Theatre has always been an important medium of communication. Another piece that got many talking was ‘Spotlight on the Margins’ -- that focused on the LGBTQ community. It had 16 transgender people performing a play, exploring the realities of marginalized people while addressing pertinent social issues.

She said, “Maybe next year, we will concentrate on the Rohingya community or a language that needs focus. It really is, asking the artistic community to take note that theatre can also illuminate something that needs the attention of the people. Theatre then becomes connected to reality.” She got poetic and asked, “Aaj ka hasb e haal kya hai?”

But can theatre ever have a mass appeal or will it always be limited in reach? Arundhati quickly replied: “It need not. Television is there for that. The medium is such that it is about live performances and there are limitations to a live performance, limitations to how many people can see.”

“Theatre is the only art where there is no cheating. You see what is there,” she added.

<img alt="arundhati nag" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="cd7a5fb1-4afd-4001-9689-4a9084646b6d" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/New-32.jpg" />

She added: “Technology will bring something else but theatre&nbsp;will still survive, as long as there are human beings, as long as there are emotions. Theatre will be that petri dish in which those small experiments are done. What we can give, nobody else can.”

Seen previously in films like ‘Paa’, ‘Dil Se’ or the most recently released ‘The Man Who Knew Infinity’ that came out in 2016; Arundhati is not working on any film at the moment and is keeping herself busy with theatre. “I'm curating for the next festival&nbsp;in January called the ITFoK festival, happening in Kerala,” she said.

“I am not interested in doing the same role of a mother every time. Will do if something good comes my way,” she said.

As the interview came to a close, the actress also reflected on the relevance of films in the age of digital streaming platforms. She said, “They have 10 years at least. In India, we have so much poverty. Every body has a phone but can’t afford Netflix. Those starving millions of hours need dreams. What the popular cinema sells to them, they cannot dream of becoming.”

One of the most elaborative celebrations of arts and culture, Serendipity Arts Festival 2018 drew its curtains last night after running for eight days in the capital city of Goa.

One of the most elaborative celebrations of arts and culture, Serendipity Arts Festival 2018 drew its curtains last night after running for eight days in the capital city of Goa. Padma Shri Arundhati Nag, Indian film and theatre actress who is the proud recipient of a National Film Award and Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, was a theatre curator for the festival. In an exclusive chat with WION, she spoke of bringing a UNESCO recognised theatre tradition of Kerala to the festival, addressing important issues on the stage, need for theatre for kids and why films will survive in the age of digital streaming platforms. Arundhati, on her time at the festival said, “Serendipity did something very clever -- that is, select people who have actually spent a lifetime in their individual arts to curate for them. They didn’t give us a brief. There was so much of freedom. Otherwise I feel it might have been claustrophobic if someone said bring only traditional Indian work or westernised work.” The actress co-curated the theatre section with fellow artist, Atul Kumar. On sharing work with him, she said, “My co-curator is Atul Kumar, himself a very fine director and actor. He curated more of the emerging trends in global theatre -- linear, non-linear, verbal -- where the lines are blurring between dance and theatre.” Striking a balance between traditional-modern stories, the theatre veteran, meanwhile brought in shows that have an old-world charm. She said, “I really looked at three ways of telling Mahabharata. One is a 2000-year-old way called ‘Heritage Of Humanity’ by UNESCO. It is the only performance-art-practice, which has been in continuum for 2000 years -- Koodiyattam from Kerala.” “We have another play, again a 2000-year-old tradition of telling ‘Mahabharata’ through a dramatized puppetry show in Koodiyattam style.” “The third is ‘Akshayambara’, that is, looking at how patriarchy has helped sway over traditional art practices.” It explores the representation of the feminine within the male-dominated practice of 'Yakshagana'. This, after a woman entered the profession to perform in which only men did for the last 800 years. Arundhati explained that 'Yakshagana' always had men play both men and women: “In this bastion of male domination, comes a woman who has learnt the art and wants to play Arjuna. Draupadi, who is played traditionally by a woman, is played a man here while this girl from Bengaluru who went and learned Yakshagana plays Arjuna. The play shows their natural differences that come up -- role reversal in many ways.” An artist herself who has been associated with several theatre groups, Arundhati, spoke about the need for theatre for children as she feels that “we make little art for our children. They can see better than us, hear better than us but all the art form that we produce for them is loud, multi-coloured and huge as if they are blind.” “Science has proven that the human brain grows the most between the ages of 0-5. This is the age when everything is an event in the child’s life. We need to make good pieces of art available for that,” she said. Theatre has always been an important medium of communication. Another piece that got many talking was ‘Spotlight on the Margins’ -- that focused on the LGBTQ community. It had 16 transgender people performing a play, exploring the realities of marginalized people while addressing pertinent social issues. She said, “Maybe next year, we will concentrate on the Rohingya community or a language that needs focus. It really is, asking the artistic community to take note that theatre can also illuminate something that needs the attention of the people. Theatre then becomes connected to reality.” She got poetic and asked, “Aaj ka hasb e haal kya hai?” But can theatre ever have a mass appeal or will it always be limited in reach? Arundhati quickly replied: “It need not. Television is there for that. The medium is such that it is about live performances and there are limitations to a live performance, limitations to how many people can see.” “Theatre is the only art where there is no cheating. You see what is there,” she added. She added: “Technology will bring something else but theatre will still survive, as long as there are human beings, as long as there are emotions. Theatre will be that petri dish in which those small experiments are done. What we can give, nobody else can.” Seen previously in films like ‘Paa’, ‘Dil Se’ or the most recently released ‘The Man Who Knew Infinity’ that came out in 2016; Arundhati is not working on any film at the moment and is keeping herself busy with theatre. “I'm curating for the next festival in January called the ITFoK festival, happening in Kerala,” she said. “I am not interested in doing the same role of a mother every time. Will do if something good comes my way,” she said. As the interview came to a close, the actress also reflected on the relevance of films in the age of digital streaming platforms. She said, “They have 10 years at least. In India, we have so much poverty. Every body has a phone but can’t afford Netflix. Those starving millions of hours need dreams. What the popular cinema sells to them, they cannot dream of becoming.”

Theatre is the only art where there is no cheating: Award-winning actress Arundhati Nag to WION

India’s first multi-disciplinary arts and culture event, the ​Serendipity Arts Festival 2018 is currently taking place in Goa from December 15-22. Now in its third edition, the one-of-a-kind festival features over 90 projects with an aim to highlight India’s rich traditions of music, dance and theatre along with culinary, craft, and visual arts.

Getting together celebrated names like theatre and film personalities Atul Kumar and Arundhati Nag, music composer Sneha Khanwalkar, singer-songwriter Raja Kumari and Shubha Mudgal and many others from their specific art forms to curate and perform at the festival, it offers a lot to those who are interested in getting to know India’s rich heritage, a tad closely.

Smriti Rajgarhia, Director, Serendipity Arts Festival on the thought behind the festival said, “Our vision is to create a strong foundation for arts development across the disciplines.There’s a strong focus on interdisciplinary practice and dialogue between disciplines.” &nbsp;

The festival is currently spread over different venues in Panaji, Goa that cater to different disciplines. While one archaic building, Adil Shah Palace (that has stood a test of time as it predates Portuguese invasion of Goa) offers a unique display of visual arts including photographs that have been collected over time; another venue Santa Monica Jetty cruise offers ‘River Raga’ wherein classical singers play Indian instruments while a cruise sets sail along the river Mandovi.

<img alt="arts festival" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="b98b326d-3304-48b2-b5ea-362739dc91f1" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/New-26.jpg" />

The festival, as the organisers believe and what is true from most performances also serves as a catalyst for cross-cultural exchange that helps in offering equal opportunities to artists, artisans, indigenous and folk art forms, performers and other creative practitioners from all over the country.

Among the key highlights of the event so far have been non-linear theatrical performances that have taken seen-before-tales and given a new spin to it. Grammy award-nominated singer-songwriter Raja Kumari and a surprise performance by Gully Gang musical duet was another event to not miss out on.

<img alt="raja kumari" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="c3eb3a35-ef88-4e59-a994-e97bd32937fa" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/New-25.jpg" />

If you’re someone who is a keen listener of sounds then music composer Sneha Khanwalkar (‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ fame)&nbsp;has a unique curation of sounds labelled ‘Sounds In My Head’ that records, amplifies and produces artistically, the sounds that we would otherwise call ‘noise’ and present it as ‘ambient music’.

'Music in the park' is another not-to-miss event wherein live bands come together to entertain the art lovers with songs that are barely heard at any other gathering in India.

Serendipity also has ‘Spotlight on the Margins’ that addresses issues around the transgender community including a panel discussion, interviews with members of the community and performance by transgender artists on their life stories.

Serendipity Arts Festival is organised by the Serendipity Arts Foundation, a not-for-profit arts and cultural development Foundation that fosters cultural development and supports emerging artists across South Asia. The Foundation aims to promote new creative strategies, artistic interventions, and cultural partnerships which are responsive, addressing the social, cultural and environmental milieu of South Asia.

Sunil Kant Munjal, Founder, The Serendipity Arts Foundation wants the festival “to become a catalyst for change -- for artists, the community, the public and the country, impacting daily life and ultimately changing the way we interact and respond to creativity and the arts across demographics.” He said, “The festival is a platform for underrepresented and emerging artists, and also presents the curatorial vision of some of our country's most esteemed cultural practitioners.”̣

Read this space for more updates on the Festival.&nbsp;

India’s first multi-disciplinary arts and culture event, the Serendipity Arts Festival 2018 is currently taking place in Goa from December 15-22. Now in its third edition, the one-of-a-kind festival features over 90 projects with an aim to highlight India’s rich traditions of music, dance and theatre along with culinary, craft, and visual arts.

India’s first multi-disciplinary arts and culture event, the Serendipity Arts Festival 2018 is currently taking place in Goa from December 15-22. Now in its third edition, the one-of-a-kind festival features over 90 projects with an aim to highlight India’s rich traditions of music, dance and theatre along with culinary, craft, and visual arts. Getting together celebrated names like theatre and film personalities Atul Kumar and Arundhati Nag, music composer Sneha Khanwalkar, singer-songwriter Raja Kumari and Shubha Mudgal and many others from their specific art forms to curate and perform at the festival, it offers a lot to those who are interested in getting to know India’s rich heritage, a tad closely. Smriti Rajgarhia, Director, Serendipity Arts Festival on the thought behind the festival said, “Our vision is to create a strong foundation for arts development across the disciplines.There’s a strong focus on interdisciplinary practice and dialogue between disciplines.” The festival is currently spread over different venues in Panaji, Goa that cater to different disciplines. While one archaic building, Adil Shah Palace (that has stood a test of time as it predates Portuguese invasion of Goa) offers a unique display of visual arts including photographs that have been collected over time; another venue Santa Monica Jetty cruise offers ‘River Raga’ wherein classical singers play Indian instruments while a cruise sets sail along the river Mandovi. The festival, as the organisers believe and what is true from most performances also serves as a catalyst for cross-cultural exchange that helps in offering equal opportunities to artists, artisans, indigenous and folk art forms, performers and other creative practitioners from all over the country. Among the key highlights of the event so far have been non-linear theatrical performances that have taken seen-before-tales and given a new spin to it. Grammy award-nominated singer-songwriter Raja Kumari and a surprise performance by Gully Gang musical duet was another event to not miss out on. If you’re someone who is a keen listener of sounds then music composer Sneha Khanwalkar (‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ fame) has a unique curation of sounds labelled ‘Sounds In My Head’ that records, amplifies and produces artistically, the sounds that we would otherwise call ‘noise’ and present it as ‘ambient music’. 'Music in the park' is another not-to-miss event wherein live bands come together to entertain the art lovers with songs that are barely heard at any other gathering in India. Serendipity also has ‘Spotlight on the Margins’ that addresses issues around the transgender community including a panel discussion, interviews with members of the community and performance by transgender artists on their life stories. Serendipity Arts Festival is organised by the Serendipity Arts Foundation, a not-for-profit arts and cultural development Foundation that fosters cultural development and supports emerging artists across South Asia. The Foundation aims to promote new creative strategies, artistic interventions, and cultural partnerships which are responsive, addressing the social, cultural and environmental milieu of South Asia. Sunil Kant Munjal, Founder, The Serendipity Arts Foundation wants the festival “to become a catalyst for change -- for artists, the community, the public and the country, impacting daily life and ultimately changing the way we interact and respond to creativity and the arts across demographics.” He said, “The festival is a platform for underrepresented and emerging artists, and also presents the curatorial vision of some of our country's most esteemed cultural practitioners.”̣ Read this space for more updates on the Festival.

Serendipity Arts Festival 2018: Celebrating India and its culture in picturesque Goa

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