UK/POLAND SEASON 2025: Autumn Programme Featuring Polish Art in the UK

This autumn, the UK/Poland Season 2025 invites audiences to discover inspiring encounters with art. The UK/Poland Season 2025 is a multifaceted cultural programme taking place in dozens of cities across Poland, Great Britain, and Northern Ireland. Between March and November 2025, it presents events spanning film, music, visual arts, theatre, literature, and design. The Polish programme opened on 5 March 2025 in Łódź with the exhibition “St Ives and Elsewhere”, while the British programme began on 6 March 2025 at the British Film Institute Cinema. The main goal of the initiative is to foster dialogue, deepen cooperation, and strengthen artistic and social ties between our nations. Further details can be found at iam.pl.

Art that Builds Relationships Across Borders: The Polish–British Cultural Season

Cities across Great Britain and Northern Ireland are hosting the work of Polish artists across a wide spectrum of disciplines – from classical music and jazz to visual arts, photography, design, and film. The programme engages with pressing themes that shape contemporary life – from ecology and future technologies to migration and multiculturalism – presenting them through fresh artistic narratives and intergenerational dialogue. At the same time, Polish audiences have the chance to explore the work of British artists. The programme of these projects is available at britishcouncil.pl. Events in Poland are organised and funded by the British Council, while those in Great Britain and Northern Ireland are delivered by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, the Polish Cultural Institute, and the British Council. The Season in Great Britain and Northern Ireland has been supported by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.In total, the UK/Poland Season 2025 features more than one hundred events.

Since spring, audiences in the UK have been able to take part in a wide range of cultural initiatives. In March, Kinoteka on Tour – Polish Film Festival launched in London, giving viewers the chance to experience both contemporary Polish cinema and film classics in the capital and in eight other cities: Canterbury, Hull, Nottingham, Newcastle, Birmingham, Sheffield, Leeds, and Oxford. In June, the work of Polish artists was showcased at the Belfast Photo Festival 2025. In July, the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival in Scotland’s capital presented Polish Jazz Focus, highlighting some of the most exciting voices on Poland’s contemporary jazz scene. Autumn also promises to be rich in events – we invite you to explore the programme for the concluding months of the UK/Poland Season 2025.

UK/POLAND SEASON 2025: August 2025

9–18 August 2025: Focus on Poland na Edinburgh International Festival
(Edinburgh: Usher Hall, Queen’s Hall, and other venues)

Running continuously since 1947, the Edinburgh International Festival (EIF) is the oldest, largest, and most renowned British festival bringing together music, theatre, and dance. Every August, for three weeks, Edinburgh transforms into the cultural capital of the UK, with world-class artistic events presented daily and attracting global media attention as well as millions of visitors. This year’s edition, held under the theme “The Truth We Seek”, will, for the first time in the festival’s history, feature Focus on Poland – a unique section dedicated to Polish music. From 9 to 18 August, audiences will have the opportunity to hear outstanding Polish artists, including Piotr Anderszewski, the VOŁOSI ensemble, the NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra, and the Wrocław Baroque Ensemble. The programme will also feature performances of iconic works by Polish composers, interpreted by award-winning violinist Bomsori Kim and the acclaimed young pianist Ryan Wang.

Focus on Poland – Edinburgh International Festival Programme:

• 9 August 2025 – VOŁOSI in concert, The Hub
• 10 August 2025 – NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra in concert, Usher Hall
• 11 August 2025 – Piotr Anderszewski in concert, The Queen’s Hall
• 11 August 2025 – NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra in concert, Tribute to Menuhin, Usher Hall
• 13 August 2025 – Screening of the film Bacewicz x Bomsori directed by Jakub Piątek. Following the screening, a conversation with Bomsori Kim and special festival guests, as well as a solo violin performance by the artist at the Dominion Cinema.
• 14 August 2025 – Bomsori Kim and Thomas Hoppe in concert, The Queen’s Hall
• 16 August 2025 – Wrocław Baroque Ensemble in concert, The Queen’s Hall
• 18 August 2025 – Ryan Wang in concert, The Queen’s Hall

Poland’s presence at this prestigious festival is made possible through the partnership of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, the Polish Cultural Institute in London, the Witold Lutosławski National Forum of Music, and PWM Edition, with the support of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.

UK/POLAND SEASON 2025: September 2025

5–27 September 2025: Theatre is Freedom Festival
(Bell Square Hounslow, West London in cooperation with the Watermans Arts Centre, Brentford)

Watermans Arts Centre (WAC) is one of the leading cultural institutions in West London. It is home to the UK’s only year-round outdoor theatre space, where theatre productions, concerts, and other events have been presented regularly since 2012. One of the highlights of 2025 will be the “Theatre is Freedom” festival, showcasing ten performances by six Polish theatre companies. Admission to all performances is free.

“Theatre is Freedom” – Festival Programme:

• 5 & 6 September 2025 – Teatr KTO: BAL
• 6 & 7 September 2025 – Teatr Migro: DROM
• 12 & 13 September 2025 – Teatr Ósmego Dnia: STRACONY SEN
• 14 September 2025 – Teatr Hom: MONSIEUR CHARLIE
• 19 & 20 September 2025 – Teatr Biuro Podróży: BURZA
• 21 September 2025 – Koniński Teatr Tańca: SHTETL

Festival Curator: Jan Lennox

13 September – 8 November 2025: Radical Hope (Collection II of the Galeria Arsenał in Białystok)
(Golden Thread Gallery, Belfast)

The Collection II of the Galeria Arsenał in Białystok, one of the most significant collections of contemporary art in Poland, showcases the works of Polish artists from the past 30 years and is representative of the wider Eastern European art scene. The title of the exhibition is drawn from Jonathan Lear’s book Radical Hope, in which the author asks: how can we live in a world that has suddenly lost meaning – and is hope still possible in such a world? Following his reflections, the viewer concludes that, in order to escape the existential impasse, a guide is needed who can perceive new meanings and open up a field of new possibilities. Can art take on this role? Do artists, by commenting on reality, anticipate solutions that have not yet emerged?

Artists: Hubert Czerepok, Zhanna Kadyrova, Diana Lelonek, Lada Nakonechna, Marina Naprushina, Konrad Smoleński, Piotr Uklański
Curator: Monika Szewczyk

12 September – 19 October 2025: Alicja Patanowska, installation “The Ripple Effect”, as part of London Design Festival 2025
(V&A, Madeyski Garden, London)

Alicja Patanowska’s installation, presented in the V&A Museum’s garden as part of London Design Festival 2025, will take the form of a functional fountain inspired by the shape of the Iron Bridge – Europe’s largest flotation tailings pond. Made of ceramic tiles incorporating industrial waste, the work addresses the ethics of exploiting natural resources and explores the creative potential of post-industrial materials. The artist combines craftsmanship, material experimentation, and reflection on the climate crisis, transforming waste into a form with both symbolic and practical meaning. The 2000:8 ratio (tonnes to kilograms) symbolises the 2 tonnes of raw ore required to obtain 8 kg of copper. The title The Ripple Effect refers to the often invisible consequences of consumption – every act of resource extraction has both environmental and social repercussions.

Curator: Carrie Chan, V&A

12 September 2025: Opening of the “Polish Poster Now!” exhibition
(V&A South Kensington, London)

The mid-20th-century Polish School of Posters was one of the most significant movements in the history of global graphic design. Polish artists, renowned for their originality and surreal imagination, treated the poster as a new form of painting, with the city streets as their galleries. The golden age of this school spanned the years 1950–1980, and its legendary representatives include Jan Lenica, Henryk Tomaszewski, Roman Cieślewicz, and Jan Młodożeniec. The V&A will present selected works from its own collection, showcasing the achievements of this first, male-dominated wave of artists. At the same time, the exhibition will emphasise that the Polish School of Posters not only endures but continues to evolve – today, the medium is experiencing a renaissance thanks to a new generation of artists, many of whom are women. The diversity and strength of contemporary Polish poster art will be represented by four designers: Ola Jasionowska, Patrycja Longawa, Kaja Renkas, and Maja Wolna.

28 September 2025: Concert of music by Zbigniew Preisner featuring Lisa Gerrard
(Barbican Centre, London)

Our collaboration with the renowned concert agency Serious will begin with the co-organisation of this prestigious concert. One month before the EFG London Jazz Festival, the Barbican Centre will present the music of Zbigniew Preisner, with Lisa Gerrard, the legendary vocalist of Dead Can Dance. The concert will also feature the Guildhall Session Orchestra and Choir, together with guest musicians: Edyta Krzemień, Konrad Mastyło, Radosław Pujanek, and Mitch Dalton. This event forms part of the composer’s 70th birthday celebrations, with a programme that will include themes from his most celebrated film scores, such as “Three Colours”, “The Decalogue”, “The Double Life of Véronique”, and “Requiem for My Friend”.

15–29 September 2025: Polish Jazz Festival London 2025
(Kings Place, Cadogan Hall, PizzaExpress Jazz Club Soho)

Polish jazz – shaped by legends and driven by a new generation – will come to London for the first time in a multi-stage festival, with performances at prestigious venues including Cadogan Hall, Kings Place, and Soho’s PizzaExpress Jazz Club. The festival aims to showcase the rich, diverse and dynamic Polish jazz scene in cosmopolitan London, considered one of Europe’s centres of improvised music. Each concert will offer a cross-cultural encounter: British and international artists, both established names and emerging talents, have been invited to collaborate and create unique musical experiences. Improvisation, the exchange of inspiration, and potential future collaborations form the foundation of this unique project.

Polish Jazz Festival London 2025 Programme:

• 15 September 2025 – Marcin Wasilewski Trio ft. Emma Rawicz (saxophone), Kings Place
• 26 September 2025 – Anna Maria Jopek ft. Mark Kavuma (trumpet), Cadogan Hall
• 26 September 2025 – Leszek Możdżer ft. Chiminyo (drums), Cadogan Hall
• 27 September 2025 – Piotr Wojtasik Quintet ft. Leo Richardson (saxophone), Kings Place
• 28 September 2025 – Alice Zawadzki, PizzaExpress Jazz Club Soho
• 28 September 2025 – Aga Zaryan Trio ft. Ant Law (guitar), PizzaExpress Jazz Club Soho
• 29 September 2025 – Sławek Uniatowski ft. Poppy Daniels (trumpet), PizzaExpress Jazz Club Soho

UK/POLAND SEASON 2025: October 2025

1 October 2025: Every Minute Motherland, directed by Maciej Kuźmiński
(The Place, London)

Every Minute Motherland is a documentary dance performance exploring both external and internal perspectives of war and refugee life. The project features a seven-person ensemble of dancers from Poland and Ukraine, including individuals with refugee experience. Through body language, the artists convey a state of limbo between the trauma of the past and the challenges of the present – with the hope of fostering mutual understanding and reconciliation. Maciej Kuźmiński, choreographer and creator of the performance, regards war as a powerful force that repeatedly sets the world in motion – physically and existentially – challenging our values, identities, and notions of security and home. In Every Minute Motherland, the experiences inscribed in the dancers’ bodies are brought to life in a moving, philosophical narrative about the journey of body and spirit through time and space.

2–5 October 2025: Rohtko, directed by Łukasz Twarkowski
(Barbican, London)

Rohtko is a performance directed by Łukasz Twarkowski, co-produced by the Kochanowski Theatre in Opole and the Dailes Theatre in Riga. The performance explores the boundaries between original and copy, reality and virtuality, mediation and direct experience. The world presented on stage combines the materiality of visual art with the filmic recording of reality and the ephemerality of theatre, which – like the human body – carries within it the imprint of mortality. The performance poses questions such as: Can a fake image evoke authentic emotions? Can an original remain meaningless? What determines the value of a work? Does good art have to be expensive? Or perhaps: what is art for at all?

9 October 2025 – 22 February 2026: Zofia Rydet: Sociological Record exhibition 
(Photographers’ Gallery London, London)

Zofia Rydet’s (1911–1997) first solo exhibition in the UK reveals the multidimensional work of one of the most important Polish photographic artists of the 20th century. Her work combines surrealist collage with documentary reportage, and the groundbreaking project “Sociological Record” (1978–1990) will be presented in London. Begun at the age of 67, the project comprises over 20,000 black-and-white portraits of families and individuals in their homes, documenting the social and political transformation of Poland at the threshold of the revolution. Rydet treated each image as a living document – her meticulous attention to detail and respect for the subjects make this collection an invaluable record today. The exhibition will be accompanied by the first English-language publication, introducing the artist to a British audience.

Partners: Zofia Rydet Foundation and Photographers’ Gallery, London

2 October – 20 December:2025: Polish Photography in Belfast Exposed Gallery at the Belfast International Arts Festival 
(Belfast Exposed Gallery, Belfast)

In the heart of Northern Ireland’s capital, at the prestigious Belfast Exposed Gallery, Polish photography will be presented in the context of a dialogue between art and identity. Curator Karolina Ziębińska, together with director Deirdre Robb, has selected four outstanding female artists and their works: Zofia Rydet (“Interiors”), Anna Beata Bohdziewicz (“Photo Diary”), Aneta Grzeszykowska and Teresa Gierzyńska (“Fragments of a Feminine Self”). The exhibition reflects on memory, space, and the female perspective, and aligns with the Belfast International Arts Festival programme, highlighting the dimension of international exchange and multiculturalism.

25 October 2025: Scotland and Poland: A Celebration. Panufnik as interpreted by Royal Scottish National Orchestra 
(Glasgow Concert Hall, Glasgow)

The project “Scotland and Poland: A Celebration” is a unique event scheduled for 25 October 2025 in Glasgow, with a concert as its central element. The programme will feature Polish repertoire, including Andrzej Panufnik’s Sinfonia Sacra and the world premiere of Tamboo-Bamboo Concerto for Timpani and Orchestra by Matthew Rooke. The concert will be preceded by a discussion about the making of the film and the premiere of the short documentary Grandpa Zig Zag’s Journey, created in collaboration with young people of Polish descent and Polish musicians from the orchestra. The film explores how music connects young people from Scotland and Poland and highlights their shared heritage. The concert forms the centrepiece of the RSNO 2025/2026 artistic season in Glasgow, marking the 10th anniversary of the opening of the orchestra’s new home – the New Auditorium at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. The project aims to highlight the contribution of young Poles living in Glasgow to the city’s development and cultural life, as well as to strengthen intercultural ties and celebrate the shared Polish-Scottish heritage.

29 October 2025: concert of Marcin Masecki in Oxford, in collaboration with the Bodleian Libraries and the Oxford Science and Ideas Festival
(University Church of St Mary the Virgin, Oxford)

To celebrate the digital release of “Selenography” (1647), a work by Johannes Hevelius – the eminent astronomer and first foreign member of the Royal Society – the Adam Mickiewicz Institute invites you to a special concert in the historic setting of the University Church of St Mary the Virgin. Marcin Masecki, an accomplished jazz pianist inspired by Hevelius’s discoveries, will perform a composition that blends music and science. The concert, aimed at the academic community and residents of Oxford, will also serve as a tribute to Polish–British scientific and cultural ties.

31 October – 28 November 2025: “Planetary Consciousness. Ecosystems of Care” exhibition 
(Modal Gallery, School of Digital Arts (SODA), Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester)

The exhibition is inspired by the concept of planetary consciousness, introduced by sociologist Roland Robertson, which encourages viewing the Earth as an integrated whole requiring care and reflection. In the face of ecological, social, and cultural crises, the exhibition focuses on the relationship between humans and the planet, emphasising the role of empathy and responsibility. Invited artists from Poland and Ukraine include: Ernest Borowski, Hubert Czerepok, Eternal Engine (Matrix Nawrot, Jagoda Wójtowicz), Andrei Isakov, Szymon Rogiński, Ivan Svitlychnyi, Anastasiia Vorobiova, and Dominika Wolska.

Curators: Eliza Urwanowicz-Rojecka & Jakub Wróblewski
Cooperation: Toby Heys & Adam Cooke, SODA, Manchester Metropolitan University
Partners: School of Digital Arts, Manchester Metropolitan University; Galeria Arsenał Białystok; 3D and Virtual Events Studio II, Faculty of Media Art at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw

UK/POLAND SEASON 2025: November 2025

15-16 November 2025: Polish presence at the EFG London Jazz Festival

A collaboration with Serious Agency, a leading promoter of contemporary music in London, will result in a strong presence of Polish artists at the UK’s most important jazz festival – the EFG London Jazz Festival.

23 November 2025 – London Sinfonietta at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival 
(Huddersfield, UK)

In collaboration with the London Sinfonietta, the Adam Mickiewicz Institute has planned a programme to be presented at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, highlighting the long-standing and fruitful artistic relationship between Poland and the United Kingdom. The programme will feature compositions by young artists from Poland and the UK, emphasizing the ideas of international collaboration and inclusivity in music. The aim of the project is to promote contemporary Polish music on one of the UK’s most prestigious stages, while also creating a platform for dialogue between young artists from both countries. Of particular note will be the world premiere of Marta Śniady’s new piece How Can I Help You, commissioned especially for this project. Its Polish premiere will take place in September at the Warsaw Autumn Festival in Warsaw.

Programme:

• Laurence Osborne – Mute

• Marta Śniady – How Can I Help You

• Paweł Malinowski – floating disappearance

The London Sinfonietta, one of Europe’s leading contemporary music ensembles, guarantees world-class performances that reach a wide audience. The project will contribute to raising international recognition of Polish music and strengthening cultural ties between Poland and the United Kingdom. The Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival (hcmf//) is one of the world’s most important international events dedicated to contemporary music, renowned for promoting works that transcend traditional genre boundaries. Held annually in November in Huddersfield, the festival attracts leading composers, performers, and music enthusiasts from around the globe, presenting innovative artistic projects of the highest calibre.

UK/Poland Season 2025 is a cultural programme of unprecedented scale, featuring several dozen events across multiple cities in both Poland and the UK. In Poland, the events are organised by the British Council, while in the UK – by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, the Polish Cultural Institute, and the British Council. The organisation of the Season in the UK and Northern Ireland is supported by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Poland. 

We invite you to take part in these unique initiatives!