Asia-Europe Cultural Festival 2025 | Curtain Raiser

The 7th edition of the Asia-Europe Cultural Festival will officially open on 26 June 2025 in Kraków, Poland, presenting Looking Out and Anchoring Gaze within the Matter of. This site-specific performance, to be staged on the terrace of the Europe-Far East Gallery against the architectural backdrop of the Manggha Museum, is born thanks to the AECFest Residency Programme.  It is a bold choreographic and sonic exploration of space, perception and embodiment conceived and directed by Karol Tymiński (Poland), who also performs in the piece, in collaboration with musician and composer Michiko Ogawa (Japan).  

This unique performance explores how the human body can connect with architecture—not just by moving through it, but by responding to its shape, materials, and meaning. The Manggha Museum, with its wave-shaped roof inspired by the nearby Vistula River, plays a central role in the performance. From the terrace, the roof becomes the horizon, and its flowing lines suggest both the shoreline and the movement of water. These elements become starting points for choreography that reflects on change, time, and the environment. 

Throughout the artistic process, Ogawa’s music, built from field recordings, evolves alongside the dance, creating a soundscape that reconnects the human-made and the natural world. 

The performance conveys narratives of transformation, loss, memory, and hope, using dance and sound to create an artistic experience that invites the audience to slow down, look closely, and feel deeply.