SYDNEY, 24 April 2024: Creative Australia gave away the inaugural Asia Pacific Arts Awards, celebrating the artists, collectives, and organisations engaged in creating and sharing work across the Asia Pacific. The recipients including Priya Srinivasan were announced during a ceremony at the Paramatta’s Riverside Theatres on 23 April in a celebration of culture including art and cuisine from across the region.
Dr. Priya Srinivasan is a thought leader, performer, choreographer, and writer. She leads Sangam, a transformative cultural platform addressing inequity in the arts in Naarm. Since 2019, Sangam has thrived under her guidance, showcasing over 300 South Asian creatives towards self representation and artistic excellence. Rooted in Indian classical dance, Srinivasan’s work emphasises feminist decolonisation, spotlighting minority women’s histories.
Her acclaimed intercultural pieces have graced stages worldwide, from the USA, China, Europe, India to Australia. Notably, ground-breaking works like The Durga Chronicles (Green Room Award Winner) and Agam at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra have shifted Australian contemporary practice. Srinivasan directs innovative projects like Serpent Dreaming Women, Churning Waters and Bunyi Bunyi Bumi, fostering equitable intercultural collaborations that offer models for engagement between First Nations and Asian Australians.
The awards event was held for the first time by Creative Australia as an initiative of the Australian Government’s National Cultural Policy Revive.
Recipients of the 2024 Asia Pacific Arts Awards include:
Priya Srinivasan (Impact)
Srinivasan’s work, rooted in Indian classical dance, shines a spotlight on the experiences of women from minority communities. She also directs innovative projects that bring together First Nations and Asian Australians.
Hyphenated Projects (Innovation)
Situated in a suburban house in Sunshine West, Hyphenated Projects support artists who operate across cultural, social and geographic hyphens, including through an artist residency and development programs.
Club Até (Inspire – Individuals/Collectives/Groups)
Club Ate (Justin Shoulder and Bhenji Ra) works across video, performance, events and activations, collaborating with members of the queer Asia Pacific diaspora in Australia and across the Oceania.
QAGOMA, Asia Pacific Triennial APT 10 (Inspire – Organisations)
QAGOMA’s 10th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT10) included 69 projects by more than 150 artists and collaborators drawn together from over 30 countries.
OzAsia Festival, 2021 – 2023 (Connect)
Under Artistic Director Annette Shun Wah’s leadership (2020-2023), OzAsia Festival amplified Asian and Asian Australian artists and experiences, centring these voices at the heart of festival programming.
Read more about the recipients and the full list of finalists : website.
Minister for the Arts Tony Burke said, “Engagement with our region isn’t only about the physical trade in goods. It’s also about sharing our creativity with the region, engaging with creators throughout the region, and most importantly creating new work together.”
Creative Australia CEO Adrian Collette AM said, “To the many incredible diaspora artists and others engaging with the region, both within Australia and internationally – we see you. We recognise and celebrate the people and organisations that have worked to deepen connections between Australia and regional neighbours through the power of their creative practice.”
The awards covered five categories, including Impact, Innovation, Inspire (Individuals/Collectives/Groups), Inspire (Organisations) and Connect.
