After a five-year hiatus, the triennial festival of Asia-Pacific contemporary performance, Asia TOPA, is coming back to Melbourne. Celebrate local and international creativity with installations, events and performances all around the city. Look forward to over 33 performance projects, including 18 world premieres and 18 new commissions. Asia TOPA will run from February 20 to March 10 in 2025.
Asia TOPA 2025
This will be the third iteration of Asia TOPA (Asia-Pacific Triennial of Performing Arts). It debuted in 2017 and returned in 2020, where it was affected by travel bans from the pandemic.
Next year, you can look forward to plenty of exciting performances and premieres. The triennial will have three programming streams. In Nightlife, you’ll find a late-night fusion of contemporary art and club culture. In Knowledge, you can expect public conversation and workshop events. Finally, in Exchange, you can connect with local and international arts industry representatives.
The team have revealed a couple of program highlights to get you excited for next year.
Kagami
This show is a collaboration between the late and legendary composer, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and mixed reality pioneers Tin Drum. Walk through a performance space wearing virtual reality headsets, and see a virtual avatar of Sakamoto as he performs ten original compositions on the piano. Reconnect with Sakamoto and his genius in this profound mixed reality experience. Find it at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from February 19 to March 16.
Home Bound
In this public art participation project, you’ll see a huge woven installation on the Arts Centre Melbourne forecourt. Led by Daniel Kok and Luke George, they will work with weavers, knitters, riggers and bondage practitioners to create a piece of art that represents social dialogue, co-existence and the negotiation of difference. The whole community is welcome to take part by participating in workshops, donating materials and watching the creation process.
The full program for Asia TOPA 2025 will be revealed in November. Find more details here.