On the curation of BIRDS ON PERIPHERIES
Schedule
For several editions now, SPIELART has been collaborating with co-curators to ensure that different voices are represented in the programme. For BIRDS ON PERIPHERIES, the programme was developed together with a group of seven co-curators for the first time. In this conversation, the participants talk about their ideas and curatorial drives.
With Boyzie Cekwana, Gabriel Yépez Rivera, Virginie Dupray, Aurélien Zouki, Éric Deniaud, June Tan, Satoko Tsurudome, Sankar Venkateswaran
Biography
Aurélien Zouki and Éric Deniaud founded Collectif Kahraba in Lebanon in 2007. The collective sees theater as an open space for community and artistic exchange, accessible to all. It brings together artists from various disciplines to produce performances in cities, villages, schools, and public spaces, focusing on identity, history, and conflict. Key milestones: tours in Lebanon and internationally, the festival US, THE MOON AND THE NEIGHBORS (2011), and Hammana Artist House (2017–2025).
Virginie Dupray headed communications at the Centre National de la danse in France and was managing director of Studios Kabako in the DR Congo (2003–2021), after studying economics and business. She now produces for four artists and develops training and mentoring programmes in Abidjan. With COMMON STORIES (2023–25), she promotes multicultural narratives on European stages and regularly teaches cultural management in DR Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Tunisia, and France.
June Tan is a producer, screenwriter, and member of the Malaysian collective Five Arts Centre. She studied biology in London, initially worked in business, and managed stage productions. From 2018–2020, she directed TPAM in Yokohama. She is involved in ReformARTsi for arts policy reform and in the Malaysian climate movement Gabungan Darurat Iklim. She has written five films and series for Netflix, Disney+, HBO Asia, and Amazon Prime Video.
Satoko Tsurudome studied Hindi in Tokyo and worked at the Japan Foundation. In 2007, she founded Theatre Roots & Wings for intercultural theater projects. Since 2015, she has lived at Sahyande Theatre in Kerala, India. Sankar Venkateswaran studied drama in Calicut, founded Theatre Roots & Wings in 2007, and developed projects like TRIBAL IBSEN PROJECT. His works, including CRIMINAL TRIBES ACT and MY NAME IS TAMIZH, explore identity, history, and exclusion. He curated the International Theatre Festival of Kerala, among others.
Gabriel Yépez Rivera explores performative art across practice, theory, and curatorial work. He studied scenic research in Paris and art theory in Mexico City. His works range from productions like GRADIVA to performative walks such as HABITANTE CENTRO HISTÓRICO. He curated ¡VEN, SEREMOS! LA POTENCIA DE SER EN COLECTIVO and ESCENA CONTEMPORÁNEA MEXICANA. He managed Living Arts at Museo Universitario del Chopo and leads the Demiurgos platform.
Boyzie Cekwana is a choreographer, producer, and curator. He has worked as a teacher, performer, and choreographer across South and North America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. He was artistic director for two editions of the Jomba Dance Experience, a festival based in Durban, and curated projects for artists in the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa. He now runs an independent space for artistic residencies in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape, South Africa. In 2023, he co-curated the SPIELART Festival Munich (programme NOTHING TO DECLARE).