Biennale of Sydney

The 21st edition of the Biennale of Sydney commences next week with a program aimed at contemporary art and culture professionals from around the globe. The build-up for this year's widely anticipated Biennale has included a series of fora and research activities examining the archive and impact of the event over four decades.    

Exploring the curatorial theme of SUPERPOSITION: Equilibrium & Engagement, the 21st Biennale is set to open at seven of the city’s most respected museums, galleries and non-traditional exhibition spaces including the  Art Gallery of NSW (AGNSW), Artspace, Carriageworks, Cockatoo Island, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA), Sydney Opera House and 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art. Participating artists in the 21st Biennale of Sydney hail from six continents including Africa, Asia, Australia, North and South America.

Led by internationally renowned Japanese curator Mami Kataoka who is also Chief Curator of Mori Art Museum in Tokyo, the 21st Biennale examines the world today by borrowing the word ‘superposition’, the quantum mechanical term that refers to an overlapping situation. Microscopic substances like electrons are said to be dualistic in nature: they paradoxically exist in the form of waves and granular particles simultaneously. The state of ‘superposition’ lies across all conceptual levels: from different climates and cultures to views of nature and the cosmic orders, conceptions of Mother Earth and interpretations of land ownership, readings of human history and conditions, the history of modern and contemporary art and the meaning of abstractions.

UNSW's longstanding involvement in the Biennale continues this year with two alumni, Khaled Sabsabi exhibiting on Cockatoo Island, and Brook Andrew who is exhibiting as part of Biennale at the Museum of Contemporary Art represented among the 70 national and international artists featured.  

Numerous UNSW staff, students and alumni are among the Biennale staff and supporters. Once again in 2018 UNSW Art & Design is the Biennale's Education partner and more than 20 current Masters of Curating and Cultural Leadership students will lead tours and public engagement throughout the event. 

The Biennale invites community engagement through a comprehensive schedule of public programs including daily guided-tours, artist and curator-led talks, lectures, workshops, panels and screenings as well as the opportunity to contribute memories to the archive. Entry to the Biennale of Sydney is free to the public.