The 10th Corso Polonia Festival logo
The events of the festival were selected with the historical reference of the post-Stalinic Thaw period, when, after 1956, there was much mutual interest between Poles and Italians. This period of vibrant intellectual exchange was connected to the activities of prominent Polish artists, most notably Tadeusz Kantor, Jerzy Grotowski, and Andrzej Munk.
Corso Polonia seeks to take on this tradition of a fascination with Poland and continue it into the present. The festival features new music by the acclaimed composers Paweł Mykietyn and Mateusz Kołakowski, as well as the poetic song repertoire of the iconic cabaret Piwnica pod Baranami (The Cellar under the Rams). It also presents two distinct figures of Polish poetry – Jan Brzechwa and Rafał Wojaczek. Brzechwa was a poet, satirist and translator who was best known as an author of popular works for children. Contrasting him is the tragic Rafał Wojaczek, whose work translated the political and practical circumstances of life in Poland into universal and existential terms. His poetry has been compared by some to that of Lautréamont and Rimbaud, but Wojaczek was strongly connected with international trends of his time, particularly those of confessional poetry and the Beats.
Screenings of the best classics of Polish cinematography are also on the festival’s programme. Corso Polonia features films by Tadeusz Konwicki, Janusz Morgenstern, Andrzej Wajda, Krzysztof Kieślowski, Wojciech Jerzy Has and Lech Majewski.
The festival presents the forgotten art of Henryk Siemiradzki whose two paintings will be on display at Rome’s two churches, and its finale is crowned with the opening of an exhibition of paintings by Jarosław Modzelewski.
The Italian audience is also given the chance to take an active part in a variety of talks and debates as well as theatre workshops.
The Institute places an emphasis on those artists and areas of culture whose works are in need of archivisation and support of professional institutions. Through this edition of Corso Polonia, the organisers hope to inspire the pursuit of special educational and documentative initiatives by specialist research institutions, universities and various academic centres across Italy, and ensure an ongoing fascination with Polish culture in Italy.
For the full programme of events, see: www.istitutopolacco.it