Adelaide Festival Centre’s OzAsia Festival, Australia’s leading contemporary arts festival engaging with Asia, has been shortlisted for Creative Australia’s inaugural Asia Pacific Arts Awards, celebrating cultural exchanges and collaborative partnerships in the Asia Pacific region.
Chosen by an independent panel of Industry Advisors, OzAsia Festival has been shortlisted in the Connect category, for delivering an intersectional program to diverse audiences in Australia, while previous OzAsia Festival Artistic Director Annette Shun Wah (2020-2023) has been nominated for the Impact category, for significant impact on communities and/or audiences in Asia or the Pacific.
The winners of each category will receive $25,000 at an Awards Ceremony this April, presented by Minister for the Arts, the Hon Tony Burke MP, at Sydney’s Riverside Theatre.
Other OzAsia Festival alumni among those shortlisted include; Chun Yin Rainbow Chan, S. Shaktidharan, William Yang, Contemporary Asian Australian Performance, Chamber Made Opera, Mayu Kanamori, Australian Art Orchestra, Luke George and Daniel Kok, Gamelan DanAnda, Marrugeku and Justin Talplacido Shoulder from Club Ate.
2020-2023 OzAsia Festival Artistic Director Annette Shun Wah: “What an honour to be amongst the stellar nominees for the first Asia Pacific Arts Awards. I’m looking forward to us all gathering to celebrate each other’s achievements together.”
Held annually over three weeks in spring, OzAsia Festival presents a bold and exciting line-up of boundary-pushing contemporary arts and is revered by audiences and critics alike. Under previous Artistic Director Annette Shun Wah’s leadership, OzAsia Festival amplified Asian and Asian Australian artists and experiences, centering these voices at the heart of festival programming.
Annette’s vision introduced audiences to artistic works rarely seen on Australian stages – exemplified by the addition of In Other Words, a writing and ideas program, showcasing Asian and Asian Australian writers and thinkers.
In 2024 OzAsia Festival welcomes Artistic Director Joon-Yee Kwok, while Annette Shun Wah will be staying on as a Programming Consultant. With a passion for presenting, celebrating, and supporting Asian Australian artists, culture, and communities, Joon-Yee initiated Brisbane City Council’s BrisAsia Festival, and is the founder and convener of the Australian Bureau of Asian Creatives, a network supporting and celebrating the work of Asian Australian artists.
OzAsia Festival 2024 Artistic Director Joon-Yee Kwok: “Having produced two OzAsia Festivals under Annette Shun Wah's artistic directorship, I am deeply honoured to be stepping into her enormous shoes and continuing the work we've done together in cultural engagement between Asia and Australia and making space for Asian Australian artists and communities.”
Minister for Arts, the Hon. Andrea Michaels MP: “Congratulations to OzAsia Festival for being shortlisted in the new Creative Australia Asia Pacific Arts Awards. The Malinauskas Government is proud to support this fabulous Asian and Asian Australian focused festival, and I congratulate Annette Shun Wah and the team on OzAsia’s nomination for this prestigious national award. Good luck!”
The full OzAsia Festival program will be launched this July – keep an eye on ozasia.adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au and @ozasiafestival on Facebook and Instagram.
OzAsia Festival 2024 runs from October 24 to November 10.
Images and vision from previous OzAsia Festivals can be found here.
A bio and hi-res images of OzAsia Festival Artistic Director Joon-Yee Kwok can be found here.
Hi-res images of previous OzAsia Festival Artistic Director Annette Shun Wah can be found here.