From the unceded lands of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people of the Eastern Kulin Nations, Next Wave is privileged to traverse the land and waterways of this continent of many nations – to share in the act of art making and culture building – grounded on justice, friendship and care. This always was, and always will be, Aboriginal land.

For more than 40 years, Next Wave has been Australia’s leading organisation dedicated to supporting the next generation of artists, curators and producers. We are a place where ideas are tested, where disciplines collide, and where new forms of cultural production take shape.

We exist to bridge the critical gap between study and sustainable professional practice, giving early-career artists the time, resources, relationships and real-world experience needed to build ambitious, enduring creative careers.
Through long-term creative development programs, new commissions, exhibitions, live performances, public programs and residencies, we support artists to deepen their practice, take creative risks and develop work that might not otherwise be possible. Our programs bring together mentorship, peer learning, artistic exchange, producing support and fair investment, creating the conditions for experimentation, collaboration and lasting impact.

At the heart of our program are flagship initiatives including Kickstart, our multi-year creative development program culminating in the presentation of ambitious new works by some of Australia’s most exciting early-career artists; and Soft Infrastructures, our biennial commissioning program supporting community-led and socially engaged practice that expands the possibilities of these forms in Australia.

Based at Brunswick Mechanics Institute since 2017, Next Wave provides a year-round creative hub for artists and communities through residencies, partnerships, venue hire and a vibrant local program of activities. Our work extends into the wider world through partnerships, collaboration with creative communities across local, outer metro, national and international contexts.

Next Wave champions interdisciplinary practice and artists whose ideas challenge convention, respond to the complexities of our time and imagine new futures. We invest not only in individual projects, but in the artists, relationships and cultural ecologies that aim to sustain a thriving contemporary arts sector.

More than a presenter, Next Wave is a place where artists build careers, communities and confidence. We are a platform for creative development, a catalyst for experimentation and a launchpad for the next generation of Australian artists.
Next Wave is a place to begin—and to begin again.

See what we’ve been up to lately.
Check out our upcoming events.
View our festival archive, 2002–2020.