Looking back with Creative Director Jeff Khan

As we reflect and recover, I’m overwhelmed by the response to Asia TOPA 2025. Bringing over 400 artists and collectives to Naarm/Melbourne from across the Asia-Pacific, we’ve been honoured to transform this amazing city at the tail end of a beautiful summer.

Our three-week adventure through the performance, knowledge and nightlife cultures of the Asia-Pacific went beyond our wildest dreams and the response has been incredible. Together, we witnessed extraordinary artistry, brilliant premieres, late-night revelry and inspiring stories.

OPENING AND CLOSING WITH A BANG

As I look back, I keep returning to two epic moments that bookended the festival.

Our opening night performance, William Yang’s Milestone, brought myself and most of the audience to tears as we were granted a front seat to the 81 year-old artist’s extraordinary life and creative journey photographing Australia’s bohemian and LGBTQIA+ communities.

And on our closing weekend Aaron Choulai, the Tatana Village Choir and the Australian Art Orchestra created an unforgettable moment in Ane Ta Abia, a joyful testament to the resilience and transformation of cultures over time. This is what Asia TOPA is about: amplifying and celebrating the multiple threads of culture that make us who we are.

BEAUTIFUL AND FREE

I’m proud that we offered welcoming, free experiences to hundreds of thousands of Melbournians and visitors – whether through participating in our installations Home Bound and Bread, Circuses and Home, or attending our huge Opening Concert by Glass Beams with our friends at Fed Square. The vibes were plentiful, and they were amazing.

FIRST NATIONS STORIES

It was a privilege to collaborate with so many First Nations artists and curators to showcase the strength of Indigenous cultures and their deep connections across the region. Gapu Ŋupan was an exceptional performance experience and a vision of a First Nations-led world, past and future. Bunyi Bunyi Bumi, Sauniga and our multiple works by the amazing Pacific Sisters were powerful testaments to the centrality of First Nations cultures in the story of the Asia-Pacific.

TECHNO HUMANISM

The ever-evolving spectre of technology and the persistence of humanity in our increasingly digital world was a thread that underpinned much of our performance work – from the unforgettable KAGAMI to the awe-inspiring U>N>I>T>E>D, so much of the work gave me hope that in spite of the dizzying speed of technological advancement, we really are human after all.

ART MEETS CLUB

And let’s not forget we opened a Nightclub at Arts Centre Melbourne. 9 action-packed nights at Club 8 brought contemporary performance together with club culture. We created dancefloors where everyone was welcome, and animated them with extraordinary performances by dancers, drag artists, performance makers and musicians from myriad countries and cultures.

INTIMATE MOMENTS

Finally, amidst the spectacle and scale, there were quiet moments of reflection and intimacy. Did you have an audience with The Female Pope? Lie back, close your eyes and be transported to South-East Asia by Sonik Ekologies? Or ponder the gaps and silences in your family history at One Day We’ll Understand?

Festivals are about diving into a range of experiences – from the bombastic to the quietly contemplative. I’m so proud that we brought such a range of art and communities to the fore through Asia TOPA 2025.

There are a million more moments I want to reflect on – but I’ll pace them out for future sharing.

Thank you for coming on the journey with us. Let us know what moved you, what you experienced and what you hope for as we reflect on an amazing journey and look ahead to the future.

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— Jeff Khan,
Creative Director

Images: Michael Pham, Asia TOPA for Arts Centre Melbourne (2025)