The 20th Biennale of Sydney, inspired by a quote
from leading science iction author William Gibson,
is titled The future is already here — it’s just not
evenly distributed. This edition of the Biennale will
be presented at seven main venues conceived as
‘embassies of thought’. It is this metaphor we are
looking to develop when thinking about the themes
for the Biennale. Understood more as temporary
settings rather than ixed locales – transient homes
for constellations of thought – the embassies
are: Cockatoo Island (Embassy of the Real); Art
Gallery of New South Wales (Embassy of Spirits);
Carriageworks (Embassy of Disappearance);
Artspace (Embassy of Non-Participation); Museum
of Contemporary Art Australia (Embassy of
Translation); and a bookshop (Embassy of Stanislaw
Lem). For the irst time, a former train station,
Mortuary Station (Embassy of Transition) will also
be a Biennale venue.
Artistic Director Stephanie Rosenthal said: ‘If
each era posits its own view of reality, what is
ours? One of the key ideas this Biennale explores
is how the common distinction between the virtual
and the physical has become ever more elusive.
The embassies are also inspired by the unique
locations and individual histories of each venue;
they will provide safe spaces for thinking, convening
for the three-month duration of the Biennale. A
focus on ‘in-between spaces’ is key: in terms of
our interaction with the digital world, displacement
from and occupation of spaces and land, and the
interconnections and overlaps between politics and
inancial power structures.’
In 2016, the exhibition extends beyond Sydney
Harbour and the Central Business District, with
more than a third of artworks to be presented atvenues in Sydney’s vibrant inner west. In addition
to artworks presented across the seven embassies,
the 20th Biennale of Sydney has commissioned a
series of performances and site-speciic installations
taking place at locations throughout inner Sydney,
including a work created by Bo Christian Larsson at
Camperdown Memorial Rest Park. Performance is
an integral part of this Biennale, presented at each
embassy and elsewhere by artists including boychild,
Boris Charmatz, Neha Choksi, Mette Edvardsen,
Agatha Gothe-Snape, Mella Jaarsma, Lee Mingwei,
Adam Linder, and Justene Williams with Sydney
Chamber Opera.
Since its inception in 1973, the Biennale of
Sydney has provided a platform for art and ideas,
showcasing the work of nearly 1,700 artists from
over 100 countries. Today it is considered one of
the leading international art events, recognised for
commissioning and presenting provocative, thought-
provoking art from Australia and around the world.
In 2014, the 19th Biennale of Sydney attracted
more than 623,000 visits. With 40 per cent of
visits made by people from outside of Sydney, the
Biennale holds an important place on both the
national and international stage.18 March until 5 June 201620th Biennale of Sydney
Top left: Lee Mingwei,
‘Guernica in Sand’,
2006 and 2015, mixed-
media interactive installa-
tion, sand, wooden
island, lighting, 1300 x
643cm. Cour tesy of JUT
Museum Pre-Opening Of-
i ce, Taipei. Photograph:
Taipei Fine Ar ts Museum,
Taipei
Top right: Jamie Nor th,
‘Terraforms’, 2014 (in-
stallation view), cement,
marble waste, limestone,
steel slag, coal ash,
plastic i bre, tree fern
slab, various Australian
native plant species,
dimensions variable.
Cour tesy of the ar tist
and Sarah Cottier Gallery,
Sydney. Photograph:
Ashley Barber
Left: Noa Eshkol, ‘The
Four Seasons’, 1995,
cotton, sisal, wool, lurex,
rayon, lame, sateen,
polyester, jersey, cotton
crepe, silk taf eta, 490
x 465cm. Cour tesy Noa
Eshkol Foundation for
Movement Notation,
Holon, Israel and neu-
gerriemschneider, Berlin.
Photograph: Jens Ziehe,
Berlin.EXHIBITION
18 March until
5 June 2016