Thought Leader & Consultant

Priya is a highly sought-after speaker and thought leader. Speaking to industry leaders, academics, government, council, artists and diverse audiences, she has navigated complex terrain. She brings a nuanced approach to simplifying ideas about power and the role of the arts in social transformation in an engaging manner.

Priya Srinivasan is a public intellectual/writer/ director who lives on the unceded lands of the Wurundjeri people. Her multidisciplinary work uses research to put into transformational practice ideas of equity within a deeply embedded community-engaged practice, to act as a catalyst for social, cultural and political change for India and its diaspora. She has worked across the globe to challenge Western hegemonic beliefs and practices, directing interventions in cultural practice to highlight the struggles and visibility of Indians.

As the first Indian Associate Professor of Dance at the University of California, she created new avenues for Indian international students and the Indian diaspora, publishing many articles and an award-winning book called “Sweating Saris: Indian Dance as Transnational Labour”. As a consultant she advised the Indian Consulate in Shanghai in soft power approaches to diplomacy in the Indo-Chinese context while working with the Rockbund Art Museum, Dakshina Chitra and Spaces Chennai, Adishakti Puducherry.

While living in Europe as a researcher and cultural advisor, Priya intervened in cultural policy in the Netherlands, particularly in the museum and arts sector, through large-scale and intimate projects, collaborating on major projects with the Hermitage Museum, Amsterdam Museum, Korzo Theatre, Berlin Wall Memorial, Typografia Gallery Romania, and the Showroom Gallery London.

After returning to Australia, she worked as the interim co-CEO of Multicultural Arts Victoria, advocating for equity and inclusion in the performance sector for diverse artists.

Priya brings a unique perspective on power and translates it into practice for diverse stakeholders. These workshops empower diverse artists, international students, work towards PVAW(prevention of violence against women), as well as priming organisations, councils and their leaders towards best and equitable practices. Priya offers complex ideas about power in simple ways that allow people to activate their senses to understand how power shifts and how to navigate their everyday life, artistic practices and workplaces to reimagine an individual’s relationship to the communities they live in.