Exceptional gathering of international curators in Perth
Top row, left to right: Zali Morgan, Kallol Data (India), Shaleen Wakhwana (India). Middle row, left to right: Miranda Johnson, Sharmila Wood, Nim Niyomsin (Thailand). Bottom row: Ignatia Nilu (Indonesia), Jimmy Ogonga (Kenya), Catriona Maddocks (Malaysia). Images courtesy IOTA
For the first time, an international curatorium (panel of curators) from across the Indian Ocean Region will come together in Perth this November to shape the theme of the next Indian Ocean Craft Triennial (IOTA27). Representing diverse cultural and professional backgrounds, this unprecedented assembly brings global perspectives into direct dialogue with Western Australia.
The curatorium comprises nine members from India, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, Thailand and Australia who will play a key role in artist selection, curatorial dialogue, and the development of new frameworks for cultural presentation.
Local arts industry and interested audiences will be invited to hear from the curatorium at a one-day Craft Co-Lab on 4 November – a program of panel discussions to hear curators share insights from across the region. Conversations will tackle urgent and compelling themes: the role of craft in the digital era, the importance of ancestry in contemporary practice, craft as a relational force, and ways contemporary makers are disrupting inherited categories to imagine new, fluid cultural futures.
This landmark moment signals Perth’s growing role as a hub for intercultural craft exchange and positions the Indian Ocean Craft Triennial, informally known as IOTA, as a bold, globally connected platform for contemporary craft.
Carola Akindele-Obe, IOTA Executive Director, says: “This is an exceptional gathering in Perth of curators from so many parts of the Indian Ocean Region. It’s an unprecedented opportunity for WA’s cultural industries to connect directly with international peers, build lasting relationships, and learn from a wide range of curatorial approaches to craft.”
Jude van der Merwe, IOTA Curatorial Chair, adds: “The curatorium brings together remarkable expertise and cultural perspectives. Their visit creates a rare moment of intercultural exchange — not only shaping IOTA27 but also enriching how we understand the role of craft across borders today.”
The IOTA Curatorium is proudly supported by the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) through the Centre for Australia-India Relations and the ASEAN–Australia Centre, the Western Australian Government, the IOTA Ambassadors, Forrest Research Foundation, founding partner Curtin University and major exhibition partners: Bunbury Regional Art Gallery, John Curtin Gallery, Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery, PICA: Perth Institute of Contemporary Art, and Walyalup Fremantle Arts Centre.