France and India on Tuesday announced a major cultural partnership to launch THE BRIJ, a new multidisciplinary cultural centre in the national capital.
The French government will fund the project, which brings together Centre National des Arts Plastiques (Cnap), Serendipity Arts and the Embassy of France in India for a large inaugural exhibition featuring around 50 artists from both countries.
Pascal Beausse and Vidya Shivadas will co-curate the exhibition. It will showcase works from Cnap’s public collection of more than 108,000 artworks alongside newly commissioned pieces by India-based artists.
Organisers said the exhibition will centre on the idea of “ecosophy” — a philosophy linking ecological awareness with social practices and collective living.
Sunil Kant Munjal, Chairman of THE BRIJ, said the partnership developed naturally after Cnap joined the Serendipity Arts Festival as an institutional partner during its 10th anniversary last year.
“It felt entirely natural that Cnap should become an essential international partner for the inauguration of our new centre in Delhi,” Munjal said.
Martin Bethenod said the initiative would strengthen France’s long-standing cultural engagement with India.
“Having this unique point of anchorage will allow us to strengthen our ties with a remarkably dynamic artistic scene,” he said. He added that the collaboration would continue beyond the inaugural exhibition through long-term artistic exchanges and loans.
The partnership will also include artist residencies in India and France, new artistic commissions, public conferences and professional exchange programmes. It will further support THE BRIJ Cultural Leaders Fellowship and an incubator programme for emerging entrepreneurs in the design and craft sectors.
French Ambassador to India Thierry Mathou described Serendipity Arts as a “genuine bridge” between Indian and French cultures.
“By supporting such initiatives through significant public investment, we aim to contribute meaningfully to the structuring of India’s cultural scene,” he said.
Spread across an eight-acre site in New Delhi, THE BRIJ is under construction and is envisioned as a major cultural hub with a museum, gallery, theatre, library, crafts centre, artisanal village and stepwell gallery. The centre is also being designed as a fully accessible space for persons with disabilities.
The curatorial project for the inaugural exhibition will be formally unveiled at the Serendipity Arts Festival in Goa from December 13 to 20, 2026.
