23rd Biennale of Sydney: rīvus

Opening today, 12 March, the 23rd Biennale of Sydney presciently extrapolates on the historical, speculative, poetic, and geopolitical aspects of its titular water system. Here, we preview highlights of the program built by curatorium members José Roca, Paschal Daantos Berry, Anna Davis, Hannah Donnelly, and Talia Linz.

Though it’s only the opening day of the Biennale, much has already been made of the “participants” – not so much the selection of international and Australian peer artists for the program, but their appellation as participants, rather than the more conventional “artists.” The rationale for this lexical turn seems to have been mainly twofold. Emphasising a collaborative ethic, where works and ideas cross-pollinate, it also underscores the agency of that other “participant” lurking beneath, and structuring, much of the program: the river itself, and associated water and ecosystems. The river, here, is taken to be a site of geopolitical (even biopolitical) importance, as well as a site and agent of cultural practices. It is a line of communication and of trade, a living and evolving organism and cluster of organisms, as well as a mass grave. Expansively as this notion of the river is treated, it is still a tighter conceptual focus than many iterations of the Biennale have had in recent years, and yields a range of interlocking (though not always neatly tesselating) responses. 

Venues for the Biennale include a glittering range of art spaces, predominantly across Sydney’s centre and inner east: the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Barangaroo including The Cutaway, Circular Quay, Information + Cultural Exchange, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, National Art School in partnership with Artspace, The Rocks and Walsh Bay Art sPrecinct including Pier 2/3.

Highlights should include Badger Bates‘s wallpaper work at the entry of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the results of Julie Gough’s work with the First Nations Collections and 3D Digitisation teams at the Australian Museum, shown at Pier 2/3, and Hanna Tuulikki’s video work at the same venue exploring the weird affect of the mystical beings known as selkies and multi species communication. At Information + Cultural Exchange, Manila-based artist Leeroy New presents a site-specific work, using recycled, organic, and industrial materials wrapping around the façade of the building, while the MCA shows a series of large-scale tapestries from American artist Kiki Smith, alongside works by Tabita Rezaire, Milton Becerra, Marjetica Potrč (facilitated through conversations with Qiradjuri elder Uncle Ray Woods and filmmaker Bernard Sullivan), alongside a 365-million-year-old set of fish fossils from Canowindra, New South Wales.

Amongst an exciting array of artists, other highlights include John Gerrard, Ackroyd & Harvey, and D Harding (who features in Artist Profile 58).  The full list of participants includes:

A4C Arts for the Commons (Ecuador / Italy)
Jumana Emil Abboud (Palestine / England)
Ackroyd & Harvey (England / Italy)
Alta Tecnología Andina (Peru)
Robert Andrew (Yawuru, Australia)
Atrato River (Colombia)
Baaka River (Australia)
Ana Barboza and Rafael Freyre (Peru)
Badger Bates (Barkandji, Australia)
Milton Becerra (Venezuela / France)
Will Benedict (USA / France)
Dineo Seshee Bopape (South Africa)
Boral River (Bangladesh)
Burramatta River (Australia)
Hera Büyüktaşçıyan (Turkey)
Tania Candiani (Mexico)
Canowindra Fish Fossil
Yoan Capote (Cuba)
Casino Wake Up Time (Bundjalung, Kamillaroi, Australia) Cave Urban (Australia,Chile)
Carolina Caycedo (Colombia / USA)
Alex Cerveny (Brazil)
Erin Coates (Australia)
Cian Dayrit (Philippines)
Melissa Dubbin & Aaron S. Davidson (USA)
Matias Duville (Argentina)
Dyarubbin River/Hawkesbury Placenames
Clemencia Echeverri (Colombia)
Embassy of the North Sea (Netherlands North Sea / The Netherlands)
Virgile Flores (France)
Nicole Foreshew (Wiradjuri, Australia)
Jessie French (Australia)
John Gerrard (Ireland / Austria)
Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg (England)
Juliana Góngora Rojas (Colombia)
Julie Gough (Trawlwoolway, Australia)
Senior Craftsman Rex Greeno and son Dean Greeno (Palawa, Australia)
David Haines & Joyce Hinterding (England, Australia,)
Sheroanawe Hakihiiwe (Yanomami, Venezuela)
D Harding (Bidjara / Ghungalu / Garingbal, Australia)
Joey Holder (England)
Marguerite Humeau (France / England)
Iltja Ntjarra (Many Hands) Art Centre (Mparntwe, Australia)
Aluaiy Kaumakan (Paiwan Nation, Paridrayan Community, Taiwan)
John Kelly and Rena Shein (Dunghutti, Australia, South Africa, Australia)
Pushpa Kumari (India)
Eva L’Hoest (Belgium)
Latent Community (Albania / Greece)
Living Seawalls (Australia)
Julia Lohmann (Germany / Finland)
Gail Mabo (Meriam Mir, Australia)
Qavavau Manumie (Nunavut, Canada)
Nuwandjali Marawili (Yolŋu, Australia)
Martuwarra River (Australia)
Mata Aho Collective (Te Atiawa ki Whakarongotai, Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Ngāti Awa, Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti
Pūkeko, Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāi Te Rangi, Rangitāne, Ngāti Kahungungu ki Wairarapa, Aotearoa New
Zealand)
Naziha Mestaoui (Belgium)
Clare Milledge (Australia)
Yuko Mohri (Japan)
Moogahlin Performing Arts with Aanmitaagzi Big Medicine Studio (Murrawarri, Biripi, Australia; Ojibway /
Mohawk, Mi’kmaq, Turtle Island Canada)
Napo River (Ecuador)
National Committee of the Friends of Myall Creek Memorial and local First Nations Communities (on
Gamilaroi/ Gamilarray/ Gomeroi Country, Australia)
Leeroy New (Philippines)
New Landscapes Institute (Joni Taylor, Ben Blakebrough, M.A.C Studio + Ant Farm) (South Africa /
Australia; Australia; USA)
New-Territories _ S/he _f.Roche (France)
Wura-Natasha Ogunji (Nigeria / USA)
Mike Parr (Australia)
Outi Pieski (Sámi / Finland)
Marjetica Potrč with Ray Woods (Slovenia / Wiradjuri, Australia)
Caio Reisewitz (Brazil)
Tabita Rezaire (France / French Guiana)
Duke Riley (USA)
Abel Rodríguez (Mogaje Guihu) (Muinane and Nonuya, Colombia)
Teho Ropeyarn (Angkamuthi / Yadhaykana, Australia)
Diana Scherer (Germany / The Netherlands)
Kiki Smith (USA)
Paula de Solminihac (Chile)
STARTTS (NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors) and Jiva
Parthipan (Australia)
Jenna Sutela (Finland / Germany)
Imhathai Suwatthanasilp (Thailand)
The Great Animal Orchestra – Bernie Krause and United Visual Artists (USA,UK)
Leanne Tobin (Dharug, Australia)
Barthélémy Toguo (Cameroon / France)
Sopolemalama Filipe Tohi (Tonga / Aotearoa New Zealand)
Torres Strait 8 (Zenadth Kes, Australia)
Hanna Tuulikki (England / Finland / Scotland )
Vilcabamba River (Ecuador)
Gal Weinstein (Israel)
Yarra River (Australia)
Zheng Bo (Bai, China)

EXHIBITION
23rd Biennale of Sydney: rīvus
12 March – 13 June 2022
Various locations, Sydney