“We Share a Common Language” - the first ever bilateral Poland-Romania and Romania-Poland Cultural Season 2024-2025 has ended

From June 2024 to November 2025, audiences in Bucharest, Warsaw, Kraków, Sibiu, Cluj-Napoca, Iași, Suceava, and many other cities took part in nearly 500 cultural events. Concerts, theatre performances, exhibitions of visual arts and design, as well as literary events attracted hundreds of thousands of participants. Artists from both countries came together through joint projects and artistic residencies, forging international collaborations. The Season concluded with a dual musical finale on 30 November in Kraków and Bucharest. In Poland, the orchestra of the George Enescu Philharmonic of Bucharest performed, while in Romania a joint concert was given by Subcarpați and Dagadana. These events proved how true the Season’s motto: “We Share a Common Language” is. 

The first-ever bilateral Poland-Romania and Romania-Poland Cultural Season 2024-2025 was a groundbreaking initiative in relations between the two countries. The Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, the Adam Mickiewicz Institute and the Polish Institute in Bucharest, as well as the Romanian Ministry of Culture and the Romanian Institute of Culture, were responsible for the preparation and implementation of the nearly 18-month programme.

The opinion of the organizers and cultural leaders about the Poland-Romania and Romania-Poland Cultural Season 2024-2025

 – Thanks to the dynamic cooperation of the most important institutions from Poland and Romania, and the commitment of artists from both countries, we created a space for dialogue, mutual understanding and inspiration between our nations. Every concert, performance, film screening or exhibition told the story of our cultures in a unique way, with the shared goal of fostering curiosity and understanding towards one another – said Marta Cienkowska, Minister of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland.

– We concluded the Poland-Romania and Romania-Poland Cultural Season with a sense of a sincere and profound bond that emerged from dialogue, from the need to get to know one another better, and from the desire to bring our countries closer together through culture. Relations between creators from both countries grew stronger in a natural way –something that happens only when people openly and honestly share their ideas and emotions – said Demeter András István, Minister of Culture of Romania.

– The strength of the Poland-Romania and Romania-Poland Season lies in openness and readiness to jointly explore new forms of cooperation. Several months of intensive collaboration led to residencies, new projects and the discovery of many outstanding artists. What is most beautiful about the work of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute is the ability to create space for artistic friendships that go beyond a single project, know no borders or language, and can last for years. When the world around us is full of tensions, such relationships give us courage and hope – said Olga Wysocka, Director of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.

– More than 500 events held in Poland and Romania as part of the bilateral Cultural Season gave audiences the opportunity to rediscover what is vibrant and exciting in the cultures of both countries. The strong relationships forged between artists and institutions from both states have created a solid foundation for future cooperation – said Ovidiu Dajbog-Miron, Director of the Romanian Cultural Institute.

The musical finale of the Season in Kraków and Bucharest

The culmination of the Season took place on 30 November 2025 in Kraków. As part of the Eufonie Festival, the orchestra of the George Enescu Philharmonic of Bucharest performed, returning to Poland after 69 years.

On the same day in Bucharest, at the iconic Arenele Romane, one of the biggest stars of the Romanian music scene – Subcarpați – performed together with the Polish-Ukrainian group Dagadana. Their collaboration, initiated during an artistic residency, evolved into a relationship marked by friendship and respect for tradition and roots. Both ensembles skillfully combine folklore with contemporary sounds and cultivate the musical heritage of their countries. In the Romanian region of Maramureș, the bands recorded a music video for their jointly created song “Moja mamo” (“My Mother”). During the Bucharest concert, Dagadana and Subcarpați presented their new material to the public for the first time.

The Polish programme in Romania – music, literature, theatre, dance and visual arts in Polish-Romanian dialogue

The Polish programme in Romania was heralded by a ceremonial concert by Leszek Możdżer at the spectacular Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest, combined with celebrations of Polish-Romanian Solidarity Day. The official opening took place at the Brukenthal National Museum in Sibiu during the opening of the exhibition “The Tatras. Wróblewski, Karłowicz, Wyczółkowski”. In the following months, the Romanian public showed particular interest in the presentation of works by Tadeusz Kantor from the MOCAK collection at the National Museum of Art of Romania in Bucharest, introducing one of the most important Polish artists of the 20th century.

The Season’s programme also featured meetings with literature and theatre. Poland was the guest of honour at the FILIT Literary Festival in Iași, which included a meeting with Dorota Masłowska. An important example of creative dialogue was the Romanian-Polish dance co-production “Toaca”, presented at the Sibiu International Theatre Festival, while the musical highlight of the programme was a concert by Sinfonia Varsovia at the prestigious George Enescu Festival in 2025. In the field of visual arts, audiences in both countries could admire installations in urban spaces presented as part of Romanian Design Week in Bucharest and the Łódź Design Festival.

The Romanian programme in Poland – showcasing the rich culture and contemporary art of Romania

At the same time, a Romanian cultural programme was presented in Poland, inaugurated by the exhibition “Nicolae Grigorescu. Painter of the Romanian Ethos”. Prepared together by museums in Gdańsk and Bucharest, the exhibition showcased the work of one of the most important artists shaping Romanian culture.

Polish audiences could also see an extensive survey of contemporary Romanian art, “Laughing with One Eye, Crying with the Other. Art of Romania from the Ovidiu Șandor Collection”, presented at the International Cultural Centre in Kraków.

The legacy and impact of the Cultural Season – “We Share a Common Language” and lasting foundations for further cooperation

The visual identity of the Poland–Romania Cultural Season 2024–2025 is the result of collaboration between graphic design students from Poland and Romania. The logo was inspired by the diacritical marks characteristic of both languages. The visual layer is complemented by the motto “We Share a Common Language”, referring to the language of culture, which enables deep understanding and dialogue across a diversity of forms, means of expression and traditions.

The Cultural Season not only strengthened cooperation between Polish and Romanian cultural institutions, but also enhanced the promotion of artists from both countries, creating lasting foundations for further artistic exchange and international collaboration. The initiative highlighted the closeness of Polish and Romanian sensibilities, as well as a shared willingness to experiment, engage in dialogue and inspire each other – both on stage, in museums and galleries, and in urban spaces in Poland and Romania.

Media contact: 
Marta Skibska 
e-mail: [email protected]  
phone: +48 609 092 838