(L to R) Sunil Kant Munjal, Founder & Patron, Serendipity Arts Foundation with Emmanuel Lebrun-Damiens, Counsellor for Education, Science & Culture, French Embassy in India.
The Embassy of France in India - French Institute in India signed an agreement with the Serendipity Arts Foundation to foster cultural exchanges between France and India on Friday in Panaji. The agreement reaffirms France’s sustained role as a patron and partner for art festivals and contemporary creation in India. France is a major partner for festivals and supports the creation of contemporary art in India.
The MoU was signed between Emmanuel Lebrun-Damiens, Counsellor for Education, Science & Culture, French Embassy in India, and Director of the Institut Francals India (French Institute India) and Sunil Kant Munjal, Founder and Patron of Serendipity Arts Foundation in the presence of Smriti Rajgrahia, director, Serendipity Arts Festival and Amandine Roggeman, cultural attaché, Institut Francals India (French Institute India).
Emmanuel Lebrun-Damiens, Counsellor for Education, Science and Culture at French Embassy in India who is also the Director of the French Institute in India pointed out that Serendipity Art Festival impacts the world of contemporary art and shared that France and Serendipity are working closely in the last few years to promote art and culture. “French artists are invited to the festival and this year 12 amazing artists are here. We jointly invite Indian artists to exhibit their work in Paris, and some photographers are already chosen in Serendipity,” he said.
The director of French Institute also spoke on the collaboration of the framework of Brij Museum that was launched a day before (Thursday). “We will be the knowledge and programming partner. It’s all about to scale up our partnership. Under the MoU we will be sending more French artists to India and Indian artists to France, and also work on the making of tomorrow’s world of contemporary art. We share the same dedication, same activism for access to art and culture,” said the director.
Calling this a partnership not between two nations, but between people, Sunil Kant Munjal, founder and patron, Serendipity Arts Foundation said, “The agreement will encourage art and artists to grow individually and allow them to focus on creativity. We are now a large extended family and through this agreement we have the scope to strengthen the cultural and creative exchanges between various French institutions and Serendipity Arts Foundation, supporting many more artists with the required resources and exposure to energise their creative and artistic practices.”
Calling it a family gathering Amandine Roggman, cultural attaché to French Institute in India said that after she arrived in India, Serendipity was the first partner that she met. “I visited their open studio that they did for their art residency programme and it clicked immediately. I met some passionate artists and I knew that this was the right place, as many experimental works were going on including installations, performances etc. The platform encourages emerging artists and introduces them to professional audience,” said Amandine.
France will be a preferred knowledge partner of the Brij Museum, a permanent centre that will be established in Delhi to welcome all forms of artistic production. As part of this collaboration, France will facilitate contacts with French cultural and educational actors and professionals. The agreement reaffirms France's continued support in bringing French artists to the Festival and developing the Serendipity Arles Grant through a second edition in 2023, in partnership with Rencontres d'Arles and its director Christophe Wiesner. It also speaks of extending France's support for the annual SAF x Cité Internationale des Arts residency – in which an Indian artist selected by Serendipity Arts Foundation will benefit from a residency of several months in Paris.
‘Terra Nullius/Nobody’s Land: Excavations from Image 3.0’ is an exhibition dedicated to new mediums of imagery that seeks to challenge the codes of our relationship to the image. The ‘Terra Nullius’ exhibition reflects France’s emergence as a major partner for Serendipity Arts Foundation initiatives. As part of the Serendipity Arts Festival, eight of these works will be on display at Old GMC. In addition to ‘Terra Nullius’, France will also be represented at the festival by sound artists Dinah Bird and Jean-Philippe Renoult, who will present their work on 21 December after having completed several weeks of residency in India. The partnership with Serendipity Arts Foundation shows France’s intent to step up French artistic production in India and to contribute to India’s flagship art events.
