Manick Govinda is an independent writer, commentator, mentor/arts adviser and curator. Prior to going freelance, he was programme director for SPACE (2018), head of Artists Advisory Services & Artists Producer for Artsadmin (1998 – 2017) and projects officer for Arts & Book Publishing at the Paul Hamlyn Foundation (1993-1996).

He was formerly a trustee/non-executive director for a-n The Artists Information Company, The Showroom Gallery, The Pacitti Company, Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company and Akademi.

He worked closely with 2007 Turner Prize shortlisted Zarina Bhimji (recipient of 2024 Roswitha Haftmann Prize), 2015 Marcel Duchamp Prize shortlisted Zineb Sedira (represented France at 2022 Venice Biennale) and 2021 Jarman Award shortlisted artists Larry Achiampong (Paul Hamlyn Visual Arts Awardee) & David Blandy, to name a few.

He was a member of the Mayor of London’s Cultural Strategy Group between 2008 – 2016 and worked with the civil liberties campaign group, The Manifesto Club, where he successfully changed visa rules for visiting artists to the UK.

Manick was also guest co-curator at the Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art, where he initiated a series of pertinent public discussions called Culture Tensions on hot issues where arts, culture, ideas and politics collide. He also curated Miriam Elia’s major solo exhibition, The New Normal, in Spring 2023. He recently curated/co-curated include Miriam Elia’s major solo exhibition The New Normal in Warsaw, Poland (2023) a photographic exhibition of Hastings Photographers (2024), Witness an exhibition of three Jewish artists, co-curated with artist Mina Kupfermann at JW3, London (2025) and Israeli-British artist Maya Amrami’s first UK solo show, Monsters at the Not for Sale Gallery, Hackney Wick London (2025).