Ten Asian artists have been named recipients of the Asian Artists Fund's residencies and fellowships to support new work in New Zealand. Photo: Supplied
Ten Asian artists have been named as the first recipients of the Asian Artists Fund's residencies and fellowships to support new work in New Zealand.
The programme is designed to support the development of new work and amplify under-represented voices in New Zealand's arts sector.
Sahana Rahman, a painter, textile and community artist of Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan Tamil heritage, has been awarded the 2025-26 visual artist in residence.
In her residency, Rahman plans to explore how traditional South Asian motifs can be integrated to express contemporary queer diasporic narratives.
Award-winning actor and writer Dawn Cheong has been selected as this year's writer in residence.
Cheong plans to work on a new play titled SANGUMA, By His Hand, which examines the concept of a reliable witness, mob killings, the religious fundamentalism of Abrahamic faiths and how extreme political ideologies are weaponised against the very people they claim to protect.
Dance artists Weichu Huang and Lulu Qiu have been awarded the dance and movement artist in residence.
Together, they plan to create a new choreographic work titled Don't Cry Baobei, exploring daughterhood and alienation in a digital society that defines familial love through Western values.
Multidisciplinary artist Motoko Kikkawa has been awarded the music and sound artist in residence.
In her residency, Kikkawa plans to develop a series of recordings and collaborative improvisational sound pieces.
Min Kyuong Lee, an artist working across dance, performance, installation, video, and writing, has been awarded performance artist in residence.
Lee plans to develop a work inspired by early Buddhist thought, bringing ancient insights on existence into dialogue with contemporary society.
Each residency recipient receives studio time, mentorship and a $10,000 stipend to experiment and extend their practice.
Xi Li (left) and Bhavesh Bhuthadia are Asian Artist Fund Creative Fellows for 2025-26. Photo: Supplied
Alongside the residencies, four creative fellowships - each worth $60,000 - have been awarded to mid-career artists to further develop their work.
The 2025-26 Creative Fellows include choreographer Xin Ji, who will work with cross-disciplinary artists to explore how community and shared creativity inform choreographic practice.
Multi-disciplinary artist Bhavesh Bhuthadia plans to use his fellowship to stage a series of artistic activations and public experiences.
Xi Li, known for work across moving image, 3D-printed and ice-based works, installations, performance and virtual reality, has also been named a fellow.
Completing the line-up is award-winning director, writer and producer Ahilan Karunaharan, who plans to develop three new works.
Ahilan Karunaharan (left) and Xin Ji are Asian Artist Fund Creative Fellows for 2025-26. Photo: Supplied
The fund was established in 2022 by Creative New Zealand and Foundation North to address the under-representation of Asian artists in arts funding.
In 2025, Auckland Council joined as a co-investor, with artist-run initiative Satellites invited to design and deliver the funds.
"This year we received 119 applications - the highest since the fund opened in 2022 and a 43 percent increase from the previous year," said Connie Lee, adviser for special projects at Foundation North.
Lee said the fund supported creative projects and professional development programmes alongside the residency programmes and fellowships.
In total, 26 grants were awarded this year, with a combined value of $650,000.
She said the fund, in its first year, had focused primarily on project funding.
Over time, and through working closely with the community, it has evolved into a programme that not only supported individual artists and projects but also contributed to the sustainability and growth of the wider sector.
"It's about giving artists the space to create, and the ability to take risks, to try or develop something new," Lee said.
She said the residency programmes also included a small allocation for mentorship.
"So not only do recipients receive funding to do their work, but they also have a mentor who can guide and support them," she said.
