Between January and June 2025, when Poland held the Presidency in the Council of the European Union, the international cultural programme, Culture Sparks Unity, implemented by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute owing to the involvement of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, was one of the key soft power tools of the Polish Presidency. Through showing that culture has the power to build unity, the programme translated political priorities – youth, solidarity and security – into the universal language of culture and experiences that are shared across the entire continent.
In the period of six months, over 200 events were held in 30 European countries, with the participation of over 1,200 artists from Poland and abroad. The programme drew attention of over 350 thousand direct participants, thus creating space for authentic exchange, cooperation and dialogue. It consciously extended beyond the borders of the European Union, reaching such countries as Serbia, Georgia, North Macedonia and Moldova, and included artists who found shelter in Poland and lent their unique experiences to the programme. It covered a broad spectrum of the art world – from visual arts, through music, literature, film, theatre, to dance and performance – and presented the work of recognised artists and a new generation of authors alike, the promotion of whom was one of the pillars of the programme.
Youth was presented as a driving force behind modern Europe – artists from the new generation were present at the most important European institutions and in international press. The European audience had a chance to watch the most interesting artists from the Polish performative scene, including performances of, among others, Hana Umeda, Alex Baczyński-Jenkins, Wojciech Grudziński and Paweł Sakowicz. Exhibitions dedicated to the new generation of creators took place in Moldova, Budapest and Brussels. Their works were presented, among others, at the exhibition “Lushness. Women’s Art in the 21st Century” in Chisinau, “European Kinship – Eastern European Perspective” at one of the most important European centres for photography – Capa Center in Budapest, or in Brussels during the PhotoBrussels Festival. After all, it was the works of artists from the new generation that inaugurated the six-month programme. Installations by Alicja Biała and Alicja Patanowska filled the spaces of utmost importance for the European community – buildings of the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament in Brussels.
Exhibition “Familiar Strangers” at Bozar, photo: Kuba Celej / AMI
Solidarity was reflected in projects dealing with war and resistance, such as the theatre performance “Mothers. A Song for Wartime” directed by Marta Górnicka, the film programme “Solidarity on Screen”, or a series titled “Poems in Shelters”, taking place on the territory of war-stricken Ukraine. Artists from countries at war and suffering repressions, who found a safe space for artistic expression, were invited to participate in the programme. The question of Security – understood as freedom of expression – reverberated as a result of giving voice to persons who had to leave their motherlands as part of such projects as the exhibition “Familiar Strangers” in Brussels or a series of Identity Crisis Network debates taking place in Eastern European countries.
The programme was crowned by a ceremonial final gala in Brussels, during which a world premiere of “Unity” – a musical piece composed by Aleksander Dębicz and performed by Jakub Józef Orliński to the accompaniment of outstanding Polish instrumentalists – took place. The concert will be rebroadcasted by polish television TVP Kultura on 5 July, 10 p.m. and on 6 July, 1 p.m.
The closing gala of the international cultural programme of the Polish Presidency of the EU Council, photo: Jakub Celej / AMI
The programme Culture Sparks Unity not only fulfilled ambitious goals in the field of culture, but also laid solid foundations for future international cooperation. Establishing and strengthening relations with key institutions, promoting young artists on the global arena and strengthening Polish image as an open and involved partner count as the most important long-term effects of this project.
– The scale of the undertaking – collaboration with dozens of partners across Europe, involvement of nearly 1,200 artists, over 200 events in 30 countries – not only represents impressive numbers, but also serves as a proof that culture can be an efficient tool for building lasting international relations. The international cultural programme of the Polish Presidency was not only a showcase of our capabilities, but also a test of our readiness to act in the new European cultural dimension, based on partnership, trust and joint responsibility. The outcome of this half-year is something more than just organisational success: these are new relations, experience in working beyond borders and conviction that Poland can be an initiating force behind common European cultural projects. For the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, this marks the beginning of another step in the field of European cooperation, which we wish to develop with ambition and commitment – says Olga Wysocka, Director of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.
Culture sparks unity, Presidency spot, photo: Kuba Celej / AMI
– When starting this programme, we asked ourselves a simple, yet fundamental question: can culture really build bridges? After six months, hundreds of events and thousands of kilometres travelled across Europe, the answer is clear. We find it in newly forged relationships, in trust-based links established between artists, institutions and the public, in emotions which – when triggered – continue to reverberate. What is most important, though, hides between the impressive numbers: these are human stories. Each meeting that transformed into a conversation. Each conversation that built the meeting of the minds. Culture Sparks Unity was not only a presentation of Polish culture. It was a joint project based on imagination – European, open and diverse – which allows us to go beyond borders and find unity, the foundation of which is sensitivity. For half a year we were telling Europe about Poland using words, images, sounds and gestures. And we were listened to. What is left is memories, but most of all energy which – and I strongly believe that is the case – will inspire our activities long after the Presidency is over – sums up Olga Brzezińska, Deputy Director of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, responsible for the international cultural programme of the Polish Presidency.
