Rhiarna Dhaliwal

Hailing from Wolverhampton, Rhiarna Dhaliwal’s interest in the arts is rooted in her architectural training, during which she ‘became increasingly drawn to the cultural, political, and ecological narratives embedded within spatial practice’. This interest would evolve into Dhaliwal using architecture, and design more broadly, as a critical and creative tool.

She is drawn to interdisciplinary forms of art, architecture and design, particularly those which use digital media and emerging technologies to merge spatial, digital and speculative practices within immersive projects.

Though she didn’t set out to be a curator, it was Dhaliwal’s experience of architecture and teaching – working across installations, exhibitions and design-research projects – that ‘revealed how curating can be a powerful extension of design and architectural practice, shaping narratives and collective experience’. As someone with a particular interest in interdisciplinary thinking, she ‘loves how curating can bring together people, ideas and practices to create collective experiences that stay relevant, spark dialogue and platform emerging perspectives’.

‘The Southbank Centre feels like one of the few truly open and diverse cultural spaces in London, and it’s been a vital resource and space for me to think, and be exposed to new ideas’

Dhaliwal sees Southbank Centre Presents as a ‘rare opportunity to develop [her] curatorial voice’ with the extended format ‘giving valuable space and time to learn and shape a distinct perspective’. She adds that ‘at this stage in my career, it’s the step I’ve been seeking to bridge my spatial design background with a more public-facing, programming-focused practice’.

With us Dhalliwal hopes to gain a greater understanding of ‘how large-scale cultural programmes are developed, organised, and delivered’. She’s particularly looking forward to building a strong network of like-minded curators and programmers, ‘collaborating on impactful work’ and developing public-facing work that reflects her interdisciplinary background.