HARKIRAT K ASSI

Artistic Director

We are delighted to announce Harkirat Kaur Assi as the Artistic Director for Punjab Arts CIC.  Tasked with developing and implementing the vision of Punjab Arts CIC, we are excited and inspired by the breadth of experience and the unusually traditional yet bold and revolutionary approach she brings to this role.

Harkirat background is in arts management and she has notable programming and production experience as well as being an accomplished broadcaster. She has worked with UK arts organisations, theatres, studios and production companies including Jus Broadcasting, Paul Robeson Theatre, Local Governments, BBC, Firebrand Theatre Company, and ZeroCulture to name a few. She launched her own successful grass roots project SPOTLIGHT in 2006, supported by the BBC and artists such as Apache Indian, winning her credibility in the eyes of both professional and emerging artists.

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Born in West London, hailing from a traditional Punjabi family where music was part and parcel of her upbringing, her creative curiosity led her to explore the world of art and culture. In the 1990s with Watermans Arts Centre in its heyday for progressive Asian Arts on her doorstep, she found herself mesmerised by the pioneering work she could identify with as a British Punjabi. This led her to work with cutting-edge artists some of who are household names, be they through music with the underground banner Shaanti in Birmingham in the noughties, or through theatre with the late playwright and social commentator Parv Bancil on his tour of Made In England.

Harkirat is fluent in Punjabi and has been a radio broadcaster for the past 15 years, a regular presenter on Desi Radio, a community radio station. She has a distinct effortless bi-lingual style and recognisable voice, and has earned the respect of listeners, artists and peers for remaining true to her British-Punjabi identity and reflecting her deep understanding of contemporary issues.