Current Issue #488

Next Wave festival appoints South Australian manager

Next Wave festival appoints South Australian manager

Melbourne’s Next Wave festival has appointed emerging Adelaide curator Priya Pavri as its new General Manager.

Announced last week, the former Adelaide resident will relocate to Melbourne to take up the new role. Established in 1984, Next Wave has for decades fostered innovation, diversity and sustainability through its biennial festival and variety of year-round programming.

Future City Inflatable at Next Wave 2018 (Photo: Snehargho Ghosh)
Future City Inflatable at Next Wave 2018 (Photo: Snehargho Ghosh)

The recent recipient of a Carclew Fellowship for Social Justice and the Arts, Pavri has enjoyed an eclectic career path that has seen her put a background in law and arts to use around Australia and the world. Most recently, Pavri has spent time in Iraq working with German NGO CADUS to help rebuild the cultural and physical architecture of Mosul, a northern Iraq city which sustained heavy damage after years of ISIS occupation.

“Often in emergency response we think of necessities: housing, health, safety and education and of course these things are really important but sometimes it’s the things that enrich our souls that are equally as important,” Pavri told The Adelaide Review in January 2018. “Literature, art, community and culture are the heartbeat of a society and we also need to also focus on rebuilding that.”

A shot from Pavri’s time in Mosul (Photo: Priya Pavri)

“It is exciting to work for an organisation that is centering hospitality and openness at the core of everything it does,” says of her appointment. “Art throughout history has provoked, challenged and advocated for cross-cultural change. To be a part of Next Wave, and work with a team that is committed to supporting our generations thinkers, creators and change-makers is a privilege.”

Next Wave is currently in the process of commissioning works from South Australian artists in conjunction with local arts organisations Vitalstatistix and ACE Open, with information sessions being held for Adelaide creatives on Tuesday, February 5.

nextwave.org.au

Bureau of Meteoranxiety at Next Wave 2018 (Photo: Snehargho Ghosh)
Bureau of Meteoranxiety at Next Wave 2018 (Photo: Snehargho Ghosh)

Get the latest from The Adelaide Review in your inbox

Get the latest from The Adelaide Review in your inbox