Creative Leaders Naomi Velaphi and Tam Nguyen Complete the Asia TOPA Leadership Team
“I could not be more thrilled to announce the appointment of these two brilliant arts leaders to complete the leadership team of Asia TOPA,’’ said Khan.
“Naomi and Tam are exceptional practitioners who are widely respected across the sector: locally, nationally, and internationally. They have both blazed a trail for contemporary Asia Pacific performance and have deep expertise that spans many different artforms and places.”
Naomi Velaphi, an experienced arts producer, said her curatorial interests were drawn from her experiences as a woman of Asian and African identities and the communities she represented.
Asia TOPA Executive Producer Naomi Velaphi (Photo Credit: Naomi Velaphi)
Velaphi has worked in the arts cultural sector for more than ten years across producing, programming, strategy, and artist development. She has held senior producing roles at organisations and festivals including Next Wave, APAM, Arts House and Abbotsford Convent. Focused on producing the work of contemporary, diverse, and interdisciplinary artists, her experience spans working for and amongst festivals such as Melbourne Festival and Perth Festival, galleries and performance spaces including ACM.
“I’m delighted to join Jeff as a part of the leadership team of Asia TOPA. This role is a chance to support and grow opportunities for artists, collaborate and amplify the rich stories, cultures, and communities here in Naarm, nationally and across the Asia-Pacific region,’’ Velaphi said.
Tam Nguyen, Co-Director of Turning World, a boutique cultural agency connecting contemporary cultures in Australia and the Asia Pacific, has established a distinctive multidisciplinary practice over twenty years, working across the performing arts, film and large-scale festivals in the UK, USA and Australia.
Asia TOPA Creative Associate Tam Nguyen (Photo Credit: Tam Nguyen)
Tam has worked in senior programming and producing roles for large festivals across artforms including Asia TOPA; MONA FOMA; Doc/Fest (UK); Australia Week Festival (USA); International Society for the Performing Arts World Congress, Adelaide Festival, and the Australian International Documentary Conference.
“Asia TOPA has long been a festival close to my heart,’’ said Nguyen.
“I’m delighted to be returning to the festival to join Jeff Khan for this next chapter and look forward to collaborating with artists, our sector colleagues, and the team at Arts Centre Melbourne to build the next festival.”
The new leadership team are now planning the development of the 2025 Asia TOPA festival including a range of imminent projects and creative developments which will be shared soon.
Asia TOPA: Asia-Pacific Triennial of Performing Arts – a joint initiative of the Sidney Myer Fund and Arts Centre Melbourne – is a major triennial festival of Asia Pacific performance. Created by Arts Centre Melbourne and presented in collaboration with Melbourne’s leading cultural institutions, small-to-medium organisations and independent artists, Asia TOPA features ground-breaking new works and provides captivating insights into the current art and thinking of our diverse and dynamic region. The next Asia TOPA festival will be held in February and March 2025.