Serendipity Arts Festival Announces Dates for its 11th Edition and a Curator-Led Vision for 2026

Goa Khabar: The Serendipity Arts Festival, South Asia’s largest interdisciplinary arts platform for creative cultural expression, returns for its 11th edition from December 13 to 20, 2026, in Panjim, Goa. Continuing its long-standing curator-led approach, the 2026 edition brings together a tightly selected group of practitioners whose practices are deeply rooted in inquiry, experimentation, and collaboration, reinforcing the Festival’s commitment to building programming through strong curatorial voices.

At the heart of the Festival lies its curatorial framework, one that does not treat disciplines as fixed boundaries, but as porous, evolving conversations. Each year, curators are invited not only to present work, but to shape thought, provoke dialogue, and build intersections across artistic forms. The 2026 edition reflects this ethos through a considered roster of curators across visual arts, craft, culinary arts, music, dance, accessibility, and special projects.

Commenting on the Festival’s continued evolution, Mr. Sunil Kant Munjal, Founder Patron of the Serendipity Arts, says, “As Serendipity enters its second decade, our ambition is not only to present art but to shape how it is experienced, shared, and understood. The curators are central to this — they bring deep expertise, but more importantly, a spirit of inquiry that keeps the Festival restless, questioning, and alive to its times.”

The Visual Arts programme will be led by Latika Gupta and Sheba Chhachhi, whose practices bring together rigorous art historical inquiry and politically engaged, lens-based work.

●      Latika Gupta: Art historian and curator whose work engages deeply with pedagogy, institutional practice, and contemporary art discourse. She is currently part of the editorial collective of ‘100 Histories of 100 Worlds in 1 Object’, and an associate editor at South Asian Studies.

●      Sheba Chhachhi: Artist and curator known for her pioneering lens-based works that investigate contemporary questions about gender, the body, the city, cultural memory and eco-philosophy, through intimate, sensorial encounters.

In Craft, Kshitij Jalori and Sudheer Rajbhar bring distinct yet complementary perspectives – bridging design innovation with grassroots material practices.

●      Kshitij Jalori: Fashion and textile designer celebrated for his structural mastery of Banarasi weaves, and his exquisite embroideries which serve as a critical bridge between traditional handcraft and global luxury.

●      Sudheer Baldeo Rajbhar: Mumbai-based interdisciplinary artist, designer, and social entrepreneur renowned for founding CHAMAR a sustainable fashion brand that reclaims the derogatory term “Chamar” and transforms it into a symbol of pride and craftsmanship.

The Culinary Arts vertical will be curated by Anisha Rachel Oommen, Goya, expanding the discourse on food beyond consumption into a cultural and critical framework.

●        Anisha Rachel Oommen: The founder of Goya, an award-winning publication operating at the intersection of culture, community, and media, using food as a medium to tell stories and create lasting cultural platforms that spotlight regional cuisines, local producers, and the knowledge systems that sustain them.

Music at the Festival will be shaped by Aruna Sairam and Ankur Tiwari, bringing together classical depth and contemporary soundscapes.

●      Aruna Sairam: Padma Shri award-winning Carnatic vocalist and composer, celebrated for her rich, resonant voice, and deep command of South Indian classical traditions. She is known for bringing bhakti, abhangs, and spiritual repertoire into contemporary concert life.

●      Ankur Tiwari: One of India’s leading singer-songwriters and composers, Ankur is a Recording Academy Voting Member and the former Creative Architect of the award-winning Coke Studio Bharat, where he designed collaborations that showcased the depth and diversity of India’s music.

The Dance programme, curated by Ashley Lobo and Surjit Nongmeikapam, will explore the body as a site of both discipline and disruption.

●      Ashley Lobo: Ashley Lobo is considered an influential figure in contemporary dance and a pioneer of formalised Western dance education in India. His four-decade career spans performance, choreography, and pedagogy, with over 40 film and stage works presented in India and internationally.

●      Surjit Nongmeikapam: Artistic Director of the Nachom Arts Foundation, Surjit is a choreographer, performing artist, and cultural practitioner based in Imphal, Manipur, whose work reimagines traditional performance frameworks through contemporary movement.

The Theatre programme will be curated by Mahesh Dattani and Anuradha Kapur, two leading voices in contemporary theatre whose practices bring together artistic rigour, critical inquiry, and a deep engagement with the social and cultural landscape.

●        Mahesh Dattani: The first playwright writing in English to receive the prestigious Central Sahitya Akademi Award, he is a Mumbai-based playwright, stage director, screenwriter and filmmaker.

●        Anuradha Kapur: Theatre-maker, teacher and curator whose work spans performance, pedagogy, and institutional practice, she is a founder-member of Vivadi, a cross-disciplinary group of theatre-makers, visual artists, filmmakers, musicians, and writers who seek to connect practice with research in their work.

Accessibility, an integral and evolving focus of the Festival, will once again be led by Salil Chatturvedi, ensuring inclusivity is embedded as a foundational approach.

●        Salil Chatturvedi: A writer, poet, and disability rights campaigner, who has also represented India for wheelchair tennis, and in 2009 he sailed from Mumbai to Goa with a team to draw attention to accessibility issues.

Finally, Special Projects, curated by Sreyansi Singh and Padmini Chettur, will act as a connective thread—bringing together cross-disciplinary explorations that push the boundaries of how art is encountered.

●       Sreyansi Singh: Curator and researcher who critically engages with contemporary textile art and clothes-making practices in South Asia. Her curatorial advocacy lies in foregrounding underrepresented and experimental approaches that inquire into the material histories and politics of the maker.

●       Padmini Chettur: Began her contemporary dance career in 1990 as a member of the troupe of Chandralekha, Chettur has defined her own choreographic idiom—minimalist, abstract and formal—stripping movement down to an essential, anatomical investigation, prioritising a sense of tension over emotion, redefining contemporary dance vocabularies in India.

Together, this curatorial cohort reflects a shift towards a more deliberate, research-led approach where each discipline informs and expands the other. The Festival’s programming emerges not as a collection of independent showcases, but as an interconnected ecosystem of ideas, practices, and conversations.

Speaking about the upcoming edition and curatorial body for 2026, Smriti Rajgarhia, Director of the Serendipity Arts, shares, “Curators at Serendipity Arts are not just programme-makers; they are critical voices who shape how audiences experience, understand, and question the arts today. Our 2026 cohort has been brought together with a clear intent — to push interdisciplinary dialogue further, create room for slower and more layered engagement, and tell sharper, more intentional stories across the Festival.”

As it enters its 11th year, the Serendipity Arts Festival continues to evolve as a space where disciplines converge, audiences engage critically, and new cultural narratives take shape. Through exhibitions, performances, workshops, and interactive experiences, Serendipity Arts  continues to push creative boundaries in the 2026 edition, promising a Festival that is more introspective, more interconnected, and deeply anchored in curatorial thought, reinforcing its role as a transformative platform for the arts and culture.