For 25 years, Next Wave’s Kickstart has backed hundreds of artists at pivotal moments in their careers, helping launch some of Australia’s most distinctive artistic voices.
Now, for the first time since 2018, the creative development program will culminate in a major public platform: Micro Wave, a new biennial festival launching in November 2027 that will invite audiences into the process of artistic experimentation and discovery.
Ten early-career artists have been selected for the 2026–27 Kickstart program from 136 applications from artists across Victoria. Working across music, performance, sound, photography, moving image, public art and dance, the cohort are: Ari Angkasa, Kyle Archie Knight, Tanya Cubric, Thang Do, Jag, Jingwen Jina He, Justin Enrico Legaspi, Ming Liew, Kerith Manderson-Galvin, and Carmen Yih.
Over 18 months, the artists will receive mentorship, production and curatorial support, alongside opportunities for feedback, peer exchange and professional development as they develop new work and extend their practices.
Part festival, part laboratory, Micro Wave will give Kickstart artists an ambitious platform to test ideas, share works in development and connect with audiences at a pivotal moment in their careers. Building on Next Wave’s 40-year history of supporting new artistic voices, the festival will be a destination for adventurous audiences to encounter artists and ideas at their earliest and most exciting stage.
Across three–four days, the inaugural Micro Wave festival will transform Brunswick Mechanics Institute and its surrounding neighbourhood into a site for experimentation, exchange and encounter, connecting artists with audiences, industry, neighbours and creative communities.
25 years of Kickstart
Since its establishment in 2001, Kickstart has supported hundreds of artists, producers and arts leaders at the beginning of their careers.
The program’s alumni include Katie West, Abdul Abdullah, Shireen Taweel, Megan Cope, James Nguyen, Zoë Coombs Marr, Loren Kronemyer, Kartanya Maynard, Pip Wallis and Ryan Presley, among many others.
The 2026–27 cohort continues this legacy while responding to the realities facing artists today, providing sustained support over 18 months rather than focusing solely on a single presentation or project.
Formerly a national program, the 2026–27 iteration of Kickstart is grounded in Victoria – creating urgently needed development opportunities for local artists at a time when pathways for early-career artists, curators and producers are rapidly disappearing across the state.
The 2026–27 Kickstart program is supported by Cardinia Shire Council, supporting Jag and Jingwen Jina He, and Wyndham City, supporting Justin Enrico Legaspi and Ming Liew. Next Wave operates Brunswick Mechanics Institute with the support of Merri-bek City Council.
Further information about the Kickstart artists’ projects and the inaugural Micro Wave festival will be announced in early 2027.
Image credit: Nine of the 10 artists in the Kickstart 2026–27 cohort. Left to right (from top): Carmen Yih, Tanya Cubric, Kerith Manderson-Galvin, Thang Do, Jag, Kyle Archie Knight, Ari Angkasa, Jina He, Justin Enrico Legaspi (absent: Ming Liew).