Avant Art Festival 2025: Experimentation, Identity, and Radical Sonic Freedom

In September 2025, Avant Art Festival once again spreads its transgressive wings over Wrocław (September 4–14) and Warsaw (September 15–21), presenting one of the most radical and unpredictable editions in its history.

International Dialogue and Sonic Pluralism

This year’s lineup features artists from five continents — from Japan, Uganda, and Brazil to Germany, the UK, and Poland. Among the highlights: Japanese noise legend Merzbow, metal icon Iggor Cavalera, and experimental producer Eraldo Bernocchi in a unique trio. Other names include Clipping. (USA), Slikback (Kenya), Dis Fig (USA), IFS MA(Japan/Poland), ZU (Italy), and Shabaka (UK).

There will also be a strong presence from Poland’s independent scene, with projects such as Ugory, Beluga Ryba, Gary Gwadera, and Qba Janicki performing a joint set with German experimentalist Grischa Lichtenberger.

Art as a Site of Politics, Memory, and Technology

As always, the festival merges music with social and political reflection. This year places particular emphasis on questions of identity — including queerness, migration, and colonial legacies — as well as tensions between humanity and technology. Richie Culver’s exhibition in Wrocław offers a critical look at class and the aesthetics of the digital world, while the sonic collages of Black Fond and Death Goals (UK) explore the contemporary languages of anger and resistance.

Urban Zones and Unconventional Spaces

The 2025 edition unfolds across key venues in Wrocław (Piekarnia, Ciało, New Horizons Cinema) and Warsaw (Pardon, To Tu; Komuna Warszawa; TR Theatre; Iluzjon Cinema; SPATiF; Hydrozagadka; Chmury). The curators emphasize the importance of collaboration with local partners and collectives such as Outlines, Jvdasz Iskariota, Ad Libitum, and IA.

A Festival to Be Felt With the Whole Body

Avant Art Festival 2025 is more than just a music festival — it’s a total experience that defies easy categorization. The performances often take on performative, bodily, and ritualistic dimensions. Sound functions here as a medium of resistance and exploration. As the organizers stress: “This is not experimentation for its own sake — but a search for new languages to describe and transform reality.”

Avant Art Festival in the UK/Poland Season 2025

This year’s editions of Avant Art Festival are part of the UK/Poland Season 2025, organized by the British Council in partnership with the Adam Mickiewicz Institute and the Polish Cultural Institute in London. The season features over 100 events across 40 cities in the UK and Poland, aimed at strengthening cultural dialogue between the two countries.

As part of this initiative, Avant Art will present concerts by dozens of British artists, as well as a special Avant Art Filmprogram featuring UK music documentaries and films.

This important partnership with the British Council confirms Avant Art’s strong position within the Polish music scene and supports the festival’s strategy of international development — building a platform for collaboration and the global presentation of Polish artists.

AVANT ART FESTIVAL REGULATIONS

§ 1. DEFINITIONS

1. Organizer – Avant Art, ul. Bolesławiecka 1/24a, 53-614 Wrocław
2. Participant – any person holding a valid ticket or accreditation for the festival.
3. Ticket/Pass – a document authorizing the Participant to attend selected Avant Art events.

§ 2. TICKET SALES

1. Tickets are assigned to a specific person and may not be transferred to third parties.
2. Tickets are sold by the Organiser on kicket.com, Resident Advisor, and also before concerts at the event venue.
3. Purchasing a ticket constitutes acceptance of these regulations.
4. Passes are exchanged for wristbands, which must be worn at all times during festival events within each city edition.
5. The number of tickets is limited – the Organizer reserves the right to end sales earlier.
6. Before tickets are sold through external platforms, resale is only possible with the Organizer’s consent.
7. Tickets and passes are non-refundable.

§ 3. CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION

1. Entry to the festival area will only be granted to persons with wristbands/accreditations and a valid ticket.
2. The Organizer reserves the right to refuse entry or remove a participant in cases such as: being under the influence of alcohol or drugs, possession of dangerous items, behavior endangering safety, or disrupting the course of events.
3. Participants removed from the festival are not entitled to a ticket refund.
4. Without a wristband/accreditation, re-entry to the event area is not permitted.
5. The Organizer reserves the right to change the program, date, venue, or cancel the event entirely for reasons beyond their control, in particular those related to participant safety, force majeure, administrative decisions, or other circumstances preventing the event from taking place as planned (including, but not limited to, the unavailability of an artist or host, or—in the case of workshops and meetings—an insufficient number of participants).
6. The current program of the event is published on the Organizer’s website at www.avantart.pl. The program posted on the website is binding and supersedes any previously released information about the event.

§ 4. ORDER RULES

1. It is prohibited to bring into the festival area: alcohol, drugs, weapons, flammable materials, animals (except guide dogs), personal food or drinks.
2. The use of professional recording equipment (without the Organizer’s license) is prohibited, in particular cameras with interchangeable lenses over 100 mm.
3. Participants may be filmed or photographed by the Organizer for promotional purposes. Attendance at the festival constitutes consent to such activities.
4. A Participant may withdraw their consent to image recording by sending an email request to the Organizer – such requests will be honored where feasible.

§ 5. SAFETY

1. Festival security staff are authorized to:
   checking tickets and IDs,
   verifying identity,
   removing individuals behaving aggressively or posing a safety threat.
2. In cases of force majeure (e.g. natural disaster, epidemic), the Organizer may postpone, shorten, or cancel the event – without the obligation to refund costs.

§ 6. COMPLAINTS

1. Complaints may be submitted: by email to info@avantart.pl, or by traditional mail to the Organizer’s registered office address.
2. The Organizer reviews complaints within 14 business days.
3. Claims against the Organizer require prior completion of the complaint procedure.

§ 7. PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION

1. Participant data is processed in accordance with GDPR.
2. The Organizer is the data controller. Contact: info@avantart.pl

§ 8. FINAL PROVISIONS

1. The Organizer is not liable for events arising from force majeure.
2. Matters not regulated by these regulations are governed by the provisions of the Civil Code and other applicable laws.
3. These regulations are available on the Festival website and at the Festival Office.
4. The regulations enter into force on September 4, 2025.

§ 9. SUSTAINABILITY POLICY

1. The Avant Art Festival Organizer is committed to holding the event in the spirit of social and environmental responsibility.
2. Participants are requested to:
   separate waste according to the markings on containers available at the event site,
   limit the use of single-use plastics (e.g. bring their own water bottles when refill stations are available), refrain from bringing in flyers or promotional materials without the Organizer’s consent.
3. The use of public transportation, bicycles, or ride-sharing is encouraged to reduce CO₂ emissions related to travel to the events.
4. The Organizer will, where possible, cooperate with partners and suppliers promoting eco-friendly practices (e.g. vegetarian catering, recycling stations).
5. Participation in the festival implies acceptance of the above principles and shared responsibility for their observance.