Ibrahim Mahama, No Friend but the Mountains 2012-2020, 2020, charcoal jute sacks, sacks, metal tags and scrap metal tarpaulin, dimensions variable. Installation view (2020) for the 22nd Biennale of Sydney, Cockatoo Island. Courtesy of the artist; White Cube; and Apalazzo Gallery, Brescia. Photograph: Zan Wimberley
14 March — 8 June 2020
March 10, 2020 (Sydney, Australia) – The Biennale of Sydney – the third oldest biennial in the world after Venice and São Paulo and largest exhibition of its kind in Australia – has launched its 22nd edition, taking place from 14 March – 8 June 2020. Titled NIRIN, the 2020 edition presents a diverse range of contemporary artworks spanning from video and photography to installations and performances, across six different venues in Sydney: Art Gallery of New South Wales, Artspace, Campbelltown Arts Centre, Cockatoo Island, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia and the National Art School.
Under the artistic direction of acclaimed Indigenous Australian artist Brook Andrew, this expansive exhibition of contemporary art and events brings together 700 works by 101 international artists and collectives – including 39 Australian artists – many of which have been specifically commissioned for the occasion. Titled NIRIN, or edge – a word of Andrew’s mother’s Nation, the Wiradjuri people of western New South Wales, the exhibition pushes audiences the see beyond what they know, to challenge history, to be a part of the story and to immerse themselves in inspiration and imagined futures.
Highlights include Pitjantjatjara artist, activist and leader Kunmanara Mumu Mike Williams’s (1952–2019) large-scale political protest piece created with the young men in his community, his widow Tuppy Ngintja Goodwin and his lifelong friend and collaborator Sammy Dodd following his passing last year (AGNSW); Tennant Creek Brio’s dynamic series of paintings on discarded western objects that draw inspiration from their experiences at home in the Northern Territory (Artspace); Gamilaroi/Gomeroi Murri Yinah photographer Barbara McGrady’s presentation of her life’s work as a kaleidoscopic compendium of contemporary Aboriginal history (Campbelltown Arts Centre); Ibrahim Mahama’s epic installation of sewn coal sacks in the Turbine Hall on Cockatoo Island; visual activist and photographer Zanele Muholi’s presentation of three bodies of work that look at the politics of race, gender and sexuality (Museum of Contemporary Art Australia); and, Hannah Catherine Jones’s audio-visual work using pop-cultural and archival material, poetic motifs and provocative imagery to tell a story of the African diaspora (National Art School).
The public program – NIRIN WIR meaning edge of the sky – includes over 600 events, with the vast majority free and open to all. This extensive program of live and site-specific artist activations proposes new ways for audiences to experience contemporary art, share time and learn from one other. Highlights of the program include NIRIN HAIVETA, a restored ferry featuring traditional tattoo markings celebrating and honouring women of the Pacific Islands that will transport students free of charge from Circular Quay to Cockatoo Island every weekday and will hop between Sydney Olympic Park Wharf and Cockatoo Island on Saturdays; the To cook Cook or not? debate featuring performances by Thelma Plum and Ripple Effect at Sydney Town Hall; Stories We Never Tell, a performative walking tour at the Parramatta Female Factory Precinct; 4ESydney HipHop Festival and Bankstown Poetry Slam on Cockatoo Island, and related artist talks, tours and workshops for young people and families every weekend and during school holidays.
Teresa Margolles, Untitled, 2020, mixed-media installation. Installation view (2020) for the 22nd Biennale of Sydney, National Art School. Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Peter Kilchmann, Zurich. Photograph: Zan Wimberley
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NOTES TO EDITORS
About the Biennale of Sydney
Established in 1973, it is the third oldest biennial in the world after Venice and São Paulo and the largest exhibition of its kind in Australia. The Biennale of Sydney has commissioned and presented exceptional works of art by more than 1,800 national and international artists from more than 100 countries. One of the leading international contemporary art events in the world, it plays an indispensable role in Australia’s engagement
with the world, and a meaningful role in the life of the nation.
The Biennale presents the most dynamic contemporary art from around the globe in venues across Sydney with exhibitions that ignite and surprise people, sparking dialogue, cultivating connections and inspiring action through meaningful, shared arts experiences.
The Biennale of Sydney is committed to free access for all and, in 2018, attracted visitation of over 854,000, the highest level in its 45-year history. The Biennale attracts a broad audience: local, interstate, international, culturally diverse and intergenerational. The 22nd Biennale of Sydney, titled NIRIN, is open from 14 March to 8 June 2020.
For information on the exhibition, go to biennaleofsydney.art.
For event bookings, go to biennaleofsydney.art/events.
Facebook / Instagram / @biennalesydney #NIRIN2020
The Biennale of Sydney is supported by:
