Manick Govinda
guest co-curator, Culture Tensions, Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art, Warsaw, Poland

Manick Govinda is an independent writer, commentator, mentor, curator, artists’ producer, project manager and lecturer. Prior to going freelance he was programme director for SPACE (2018), head of Artists Advisory Services and artists producer for Artsadmin (1998 – 2017) and projects officer for Arts & Book Publishing at the Paul Hamlyn Foundation (1993-1996).

He was formerly a trustee/non-executive director for a-n The Artists Information Company, The Showroom Gallery, The Pacitti Company, Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company and Akademi.

He worked as a producer for 2007 Turner Prize shortlisted Zarina Bhimji, 2015 Marcel Duchamp Prize shortlisted Zineb Sedira (representing France at 2022 Venice Biennale) and 2021 Jarman Award shortlisted artists Larry Achiampong (Paul Hamlyn Visual Arts Awardee) & David Blandy, to name a few.

He was a member of the Mayor of London’s Cultural Strategy Group between 2008 – 2016 and worked with the civil liberties campaign group, The Manifesto Club where he successfully changed visa rules for visiting artists to the UK

He is currently working in Warsaw, Poland as guest co-curator at the Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art, initiating a series of pertinent public discussions called Culture Tensions on hot issues where arts, culture, ideas and politics collide. He also curated Miriam Elia’s major solo exhibition The New Normal in Spring 2023.

Follow Manick on X/Twitter: @manick62

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