The 25th Biennale of Sydney: "Rememory" Explores Memory, History, and Ancestral Knowledge

The 25th Biennale of Sydney has officially commenced, showcasing works from 83 artists, collaborations, and collectives representing 37 countries. Titled "Rememory," the event delves into the intricate intersection of memory and history, integrating ancestral knowledge and ancient cultures. It is spread across five primary venues and additional locations in Western Sydney. The Biennale is directed by Emirati artistic director Hoor Al Qasimi, whose appointment previously generated commentary regarding her geopolitical statements.

Artistic Vision: "Rememory"

The Biennale's core theme, "Rememory," is a term first introduced by author Toni Morrison in her seminal novel Beloved. It serves as a conceptual framework for exploring memory and history as dynamic methods for revisiting, reconstructing, and ultimately reclaiming narratives. Works often examine past events to shed light on present issues and envision future possibilities.

"Rememory" explores memory and history as methods for revisiting, reconstructing, and reclaiming narratives, with works often examining past events to inform present issues and envision future possibilities.

Hoor Al Qasimi: Artistic Director

Hoor Al Qasimi leads this edition as artistic director, marking a significant milestone as she is both the first Arab and the eighth woman to hold this prestigious position in the festival's 53-year history. With over two decades of experience, Al Qasimi has notably led the Sharjah Biennial and founded the Sharjah Art Foundation in 2009.

Venues and Expanded Reach

The 25th Biennale is prominently hosted across five primary venues:

• White Bay Power Station
• Art Gallery of New South Wales
• Penrith Regional Gallery
• Campbelltown Arts Centre
• Chau Chak Wing Museum

This year's event significantly expands its footprint in Western Sydney, incorporating Penrith Regional Gallery for the first time and returning to Campbelltown Arts Centre. Further public programs are planned for Centenary Square in Parramatta, Fairfield City Museum & Gallery, and Redfern Town Hall, broadening its community engagement.

Featured Artworks and Artists

The Biennale presents a diverse array of installations and conceptual presentations, often integrating profound historical and cultural narratives. Highlights include:

• Ngurrara Canvas II: An expansive 80-square-meter painting, collaboratively created by over 40 Ngurrara artists from the Great Sandy Desert. This powerful artwork, instrumental in supporting their 1996 native title claim, is on display at the Art Gallery of NSW for its final public viewing before its permanent return to the artists' country.
• "Living Histories" by Nikesha Breeze (US): Located at White Bay Power Station, this installation features a baobab tree sculpture made from 2,000 meters of white cotton cheesecloth, a replica slave cabin from reclaimed wood, and a maze of archival portraits printed on fabric. It powerfully draws from the 1930s Born in Slavery archive to reanimate the experiences of African American ancestors.
• "Code Black/Riot" Collaboration: A multi-channel video installation by Behrouz Boochani (Kurdistan/Iran/Aotearoa New Zealand), Hoda Afshar (Iran/Australia), and Vernon Ah Kee (Kuku Yalandji, Waanji, Yidinji, Gugu Yimithirr, Australia). At Campbelltown Arts Centre, this four-channel piece features testimonials from former staff and child inmates of a north Queensland facility, interspersed with evocative footage. A related photo series by Afshar, featuring portraits of Indigenous youth, is shown at the Chau Chak Wing Museum.
• Vernon Ah Kee: In addition to the collaboration, Ah Kee presents a color-field painting with text corresponding to detention facility alert levels, requiring a shifting perspective to discern its message.
• Gabriel Chaile (Argentina): At White Bay Power Station, a functioning clay oven will be activated to serve Peruvian cuisine during specific festival periods.
• Mounira Al Solh (Lebanon): Creates a large vat of tabbouleh as part of a community-based performance in Granville.
• Wendy Hubert (Yindjibarndi elder): At Penrith Regional Gallery, her paintings feature notes on bush tucker, complemented by a garden created with community members to distil principles for living in harmony with Country.
• Sandra Monterroso (Maya artist): At the Art Gallery of NSW, her quilted hangings are intricately embroidered with herbal remedy ingredients and dyed with botanical pigments.
• Taysir Batniji (Palestinian): Features a palette of geometrically stacked olive-oil soap blocks, each carved with the Arabic phrase "no condition is permanent."
• Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige (Lebanese diaspora): Present exquisitely embroidered cartographies illustrating migratory routes.
• Khalil Rabah (Palestinian): At the Chau Chak Wing Museum, a large, ornately embroidered traditional tunic draws patterns from the sixth-century Shellal Mosaic.
• Abdul Abdullah (Australia): At the Art Gallery of NSW, a triptych depicts young men in mid-2000s streetwear, referencing the 2005 Cronulla riots by restaging key incidents.
• Ema Shin (Japanese Australian): Her textile heart, 'Hearts of Absent Women (Tree of Family)', addresses the historical exclusion of women from family records.
• Kapwani Kiwanga (Canadian): Her 'Flowers For Africa' uses elaborate floral displays to chart moments of transition from colonial rule to independence across Africa.

The Biennale also features significant contributions from other Palestinian artists and collectives, including Basel Abbas and Ruanne Abou-Rahme, and the architecture studio DAAR (Decolonizing Architecture Art Research), led by Sandi Hilal and Alessandro Petti.

Prior Commentary and Biennale's Response

Prior to its opening, Hoor Al Qasimi's appointment sparked commentary from some members of the Jewish community regarding her statements on the conflict in Gaza and support for Palestine. Peter Wertheim, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, stated to The Australian that her appointment represented a "flagship cultural institution being captured by an extremist anti-western political agenda." The Australian Financial Review further reported in November that some donors had withdrawn support from the Biennale following Al Qasimi's appointment. Al Qasimi was notably absent from the vernissage.

In response, a Biennale of Sydney spokesperson affirmed that Al Qasimi was appointed for her professional expertise and artistic vision and should be judged solely on her merits and work for the Biennale. The spokesperson clarified that sponsor and donor participation naturally varies with each edition, emphasizing that the Australian government remains the Biennale's most significant consistent supporter. The Biennale underscored the importance of public funding for the arts as an essential investment in democracy, which enables diverse global voices and perspectives, including those that may be challenging, to be heard. Initial concerns regarding a potential political focus were not widely reflected in the festival's overall presentation.

Curatorial Approach and Observations

The Biennale's presentations consistently integrate political context, even within works that embrace beauty and spectacle.

The overall curatorial message conveys that, in the face of destruction, trauma, and loss, the means for a better world are accessible.

Observations on the exhibition's presentation noted that some video works at White Bay Power Station were positioned in spaces lacking adequate seating, and certain photographs, such as those by Filipinx artist Kiri Dalena, appeared somewhat diminished by the immense scale of the venue.