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The longest-running annual arts festival of its kind in the southern hemisphere - which attracts half a million people every summer - is looking for a new Artistic Director.

Perth International Arts Festival, founded by The University of Western Australia in 1953 as a "festival for the people", has announced an international search for a leader to take over from Jonathan Holloway.

While Mr Holloway is preparing for the grand finale festival of his four-year tenure, the quest has begun to find the next Artistic Director to guide the program for four years from 2016.

Lotterywest Festival Films and the Perth Writers Festival are part of Perth International Arts Festival, which also presents the Great Southern Festival.

UWA Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Johnson said under the artistic direction of Jonathan Holloway the Festival had confirmed its place as one of Australia's largest arts festivals.

"But more importantly it has married fabulous international programing with the genuine engagement of artists and audiences.  We look to the future with great anticipation.

Mr Holloway said Perth International Arts Festival had been at the vanguard of international arts festivals for more than 60 years, constantly reinventing itself, continually growing in breadth and depth and deeply loved by the people of Western Australia.

"It was a huge honour to be invited to artistically direct four Festivals in Perth, and I've been energised by the generosity and passion of the artists, audiences and colleagues I've worked with.  Perth International Arts Festival is vital in every possible way, and I'm confident that the future will be as exciting as the present."

Since 2012 the Festival has seen commissions and Australian premieres including the final three piano etudes from Philip Glass; Landfall by Laurie Anderson and the Kronos Quartet; The Refusal of Time by William Kentridge; Between the Desert and the Deep Blue Sea: A Symphony for Perth by composer Tod Machover; keynote speeches from writers Martin Amis, Lionel Shriver and Margaret Atwood; Situation Rooms by Rimini Protokoll; and Scattered Light by Jim Campbell.

They have included the exclusive and first-ever appearances in Australia by the Berliner Ensemble (with The Threepenny Opera directed by Robert Wilson); Punchdrunk; Dmitri Krymov; Lucinda Childs' Dance ; Les Studios de Cirque; Teatro de los Sentidos and Robert Wilson in Krapp's Last Tape .

More information is available at Perth Festival

Media references

Emeritus Professor Margaret Seares (Chair, Perth International Arts Festival)  (+61 8) 6488 2197
Rania Ghandour (Perth International Arts Festival Media Relations Manager)  (+61 8) 6488 8618 / (+61 4) 03 025 535
David Stacey (UWA Public Affairs)  (+61 8) 6488 3229 / (+61 4) 32 637 716