Sometimes big things happen in small places. Adelaide’s vibrant arts festival scene is a prime example of that. The city has a strong tradition of hosting cultural events like the Adelaide Fringe Festival, the world’s second-largest annual arts festival after Edinburgh’s Fringe.
In 2023, it achieved a historic milestone, becoming Australia’s first festival to sell one million tickets in a single year.
Alongside it, the Adelaide Festival stands as one of Australia’s oldest ongoing festivals, that draws interstate and international visitors.
Thanks to the creative efforts of South Australian artists and arts enthusiasts, including Greeks, Adelaide’s arts scene has transformed the city into a cultural hub that surpasses many larger cities.
Elena Carapetis
Elena Carapetis, based in Adelaide and a graduate of NIDA, is an award-winning actor, writer, and director with a 30-year career on stage and screen.
Despite her success, she says, “Being an artist anywhere at the moment is very challenging.”
“Most people don’t realise just how much artists subsidise and hold up the industry, often funding work from our own pockets. We are well trained professional workers, yet we don’t get paid the average $90,000 like our non-arts colleagues do.”
Carapetis has an extensive background in performing, directing, and writing across various sectors of the arts industry.
One of her proudest achievements is her play “The Gods of Strangers,” which sold out during the 2018 State Theatre Company SA season.
Recently, she concluded the festival circuit for her debut short film “Blame the Rabbit,” which received the Grand Jury Prize at the South Australian Screen Awards.
Carapetis says artists’ work is an “indicator of a healthy and robust society,” and recognises Western theatre’s roots in Ancient Greece.
She believes that undervaluing the arts deprives us of stories that help us reflect, feel deeply, and grow personally.
“The world would not have endured lockdowns if not for the arts. Think of all the music you listened to, the books you read, the films and series you watched to get through those days.”
“Our industry is suffering greatly right now, and we need to act on saving it before it’s too late.”
Niki Sperou
Greek South Australian visual artist Niki Sperou explores the intersection of art, science, and culture.
Inspired by ancient Greek narratives and modern biotechnology, she creates art that reflects her interests in technology, the human body, and her cultural heritage.
“Greeks say that if you are seeking the impossible you are chasing Chimeras. For me they express ideas in flux. My work is inspired by the monster of ancient Greece, hybrid organisms of biotechnology, multiculturalism, queer ideologies, and the fanciful idea that manifests into an art object.”
Sperou explains that ancient Greek beliefs, such as life being preordained by the Fates -three goddesses who determine each person’s destiny at birth- offer a “fixed perspective” for evaluating change.
In contrast, biotechnologies like stem cell research research “can extend life beyond previous limits.”
As an artist, Sperou uses unconventional materials like blood and chlorophyll, as working “with living organisms” allows her to appreciate life amidst ecological crises.
She also talks about how Western science has adopted ancient Greek paradigms to understand contemporary processes and ideas.
Sperou says ancient principles, like polarity were fundamental to a functional society, whereas concepts once deemed monstrous, such as hybrids, are no longer considered an anomaly.
“Art should reflect important issues of the times and now long-held classical beliefs are in question.”
Anthony Nicola
Anthony Nicola is a Greek-Cypriot theatre maker, and the Resident Director of South Australia’s State Theatre Company. He says while South Australia has many talented and diverse artists, it lacks an independent South Australian arts scene.
“There are new generations of artists and audiences that we need to foster and support, in particular queer and culturally diverse work developed and performed by young artists.”
Nicola’s aim is to engage and unite these audiences by exploring “the visceral sensations of queer and migrant experiences.”
“A dynamic theatre is one that speaks to audiences in constant evolution, redefining the stories we tell and how we tell them.”
While focusing on migrant and queer perspectives, he reinterprets traditional elements to connect with modern audiences.
“In an era dominated by streaming and social media, it is an artist’s responsibility to create works that compel audiences to leave their houses and embrace the experience of live theatre.”
