This week, 96 artists from more than 25 countries were announced as part of the 22nd Biennale of Sydney, which is set to take over the city from March through to June next year.
Unlike any Biennale before, this twelve-week art blowout is set to disrupt the status quo of all we’ve come to expect from Sydney’s oldest art expo. Called NIRIN (meaning “edge” in Wiradjuri, from the language of central western New South Wales) and curated by First Nations artist Brook Andrews—the 2020 Biennale of Sydney will be a series of artistic actions, with sovereignty, self-determination and the climate crisis at its centre.
NIRIN lands on the year of the 250th anniversary of Captain Cook’s arrival to Sydney Harbour. Andrews wants the Biennale to exist as a channel to re-examine history; a way to use the power of artists “to resolve, heal, dismember and imagine future.”
The Biennale will, for the first time, span across the entirety of the city with a new extension titled NIRIN WIR, a series of programs with Blacktown Native Institution, Parramatta Female Factory, Bankstown Poetry Slam and 4ESydney HipHop Festival.
Some exciting artists include installation favourite Tony Albert (who you may have seen at The National exhibition this year, with the huge deck of playing cards). Or the very cool, Melbourne-based, Wiradjuri illustrator Charlotte Allingham; and Noŋgirrŋa Marawili, who explores the landscape of Yirrkala in the Northern Territory on epic proportions.
First Nation artists across the world have been invited to take part in a re-telling of global history—and this is one art event that will challenge and question. For the full list of artists and more on the program, check out the Biennale of Sydney website.
THE DETAILS
What: Biennale of Sydney
When: 14 March - 8 June, 2020
Where: Various locations throughout Sydney
For now, check out all the best exhibitions to see this month.
Image credit: Joshua Morris.