As we look ahead to 2026, we’re thrilled to be entering a bold new chapter.

Our upcoming artistic program revitalises Next Wave’s commitment to emerging and early-career artists through creative developments, exhibitions, performances, residencies, partnerships and public programs.

This includes:

The revitalisation of Kickstart with an open call for Victorian artists

Marking 25 years of Kickstart, we are revitalising this landmark initiative with an open call for Victoria-based artists, and with a renewed focus on experimentation, peer learning and deep community connection.
In 2026, Kickstart will relaunch with an open call shaped with our Arts Advisory.
The program Kickstart will offer an 18 month creative development and mentorship program, leading towards a 2027 presentation at Brunswick Mechanics Institute and across partner organisations in Victoria.

New artist development programs

We also launch two new initiatives: Soft Infrastructures, an annual social-practice commission supporting an early-career Victorian artist, and Swell, a new initiative connecting emerging curators and producers with recent graduates to help bridge the transition into professional practice.

A new monthly screening club: Civic Cinema

Next Wave will continue hosting our good friends Composite Moving Image as our ARI-in-residence, presenting a dynamic program of screenings, sound works, commissions and broadcast experiments. We’re also coming together to present Civic Cinema a monthly screening club connecting audiences with artists and filmmakers who expand the possibilities of cinema today.

The return of Around the Block

Around the Block returns in 2026! This program will show new works by 12 artists across Blak Dot Gallery, Balam Balam Place and the Next Wave’s windows along the iconic Sydney Road – with new artists showcased every fortnight over six weeks.

A calendar of performances, exhibitions and more

Presented by Next Wave and partners Merri-bek City Council, Beit e’Shai, Blindside, CAST, Midsumma Festival, Speak Percussion, UNDERARTS and VIMH.

The program will activate our home, Brunswick Mechanics Institute, all year round.

Elyse Goldfinch, Next Wave CEO, said Brunswick Mechanics Institute will continue to grow as a vibrant hub for artists, local communities and curious audiences, reinforcing the essential role of independent spaces in Victoria’s cultural ecology.

“Next Wave is a space where artists can forge ambitious projects at pivotal moments in their practice — a place for testing, gathering and sharing new possibilities,” Elyse said.

“These renewed programs will re-engage the public, open our doors wider to the creative community, and carry the dynamism of Next Wave’s long legacy into its future. Guided by a curatorial framework attuned to future thinking, we are supporting the next generation of artists and arts leaders to imagine — and begin shaping — the art worlds to come.”

Download a Next Wave’s 2026 program here, or grab a print copy at Brunswick Mechanics Institute.