The full list of artists who will participate in the 21st Biennale of Sydney has been announced. The curatorial theme is SUPERPOSITION: Equilibrium & Engagement. The event will be held across seven venues, 16 Match to 11 June 2018.
In launching her artistic program, artistic director Mami Kataoka emphasised that 21% of the artists she has selected are Australian, and around half of these are Indigenous. She also highlighted her interest in the history of the Biennale of Sydney, in its archival material, and in the permanent collections of two key venues, the AGNSW and MCA.
In addition, Kataoka was very pleased to announce that the Sydney Opera House, venue of the first ever BoS in 1973, will once again be part of the Biennale. The other venues in 2018 are Artspace, Carriageworks, Cockatoo Island, and 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art.
The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) will display extensive Biennale of Sydney archives as well as the work of 17 artists including Sydney Ball, Roy Wiggan, Roy de Maistre and Marlene Gilson.
Five artists will show at Artspace, including Ai Weiwei whose Crystal Ball, 2017, Kataoka described as reflecting her own thoughts on “how cosmic order comes together.”
Carriageworks will feature the work of eight artists/collectives, including video pieces by Semiconductor, Trinh Thi Nguyen, and Chen Shaoxiong.
These include Anya Gallaccio’s 3D printed clay mountain range and works by Mit Jai Inn and Yasmin Smith. Meanwhile Abraham Cruzvillegas will construct a massive collage assemblage from material gathered on the island.
At the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA) Ciara Phillips will host a working printmaking studio that audiences can participate in, alongside works by 17 other artists (some from the permanent collection) including Brook Andrew, Marc Bauer, and Nicole Wong.
The Sydney Opera House will present new works by Rayyane Tabet and Oliver Beer. Both artists respond to Utzon’s architecture. It will also host the keynote lecture by Ai Weiwei and the Sydney premiere his new feature-length film on the global refugee crisis, Human Flow, 2017.
4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art features a video work by Akira Takayama that documents the people of Sydney singing their ancestral songs at Sydney Town Hall. And Jun Yang will also present a video as well as a wallpaper piece.
“The artists in the 21st Biennale of Sydney have been chosen to offer a panoramic view of how opposing interpretations can come together in a state of equilibrium,” said Kataoka. “The history of the people of Sydney collectively reflects the history of the world in the 20th century, in particular the movements and migration of people and cultures away from conflict. My hope is that the artworks in this Biennale will serve as a catalyst for thought for all of us.”
The complete list of 2018 Biennale of Sydney artists, organised by venue, is below.
Art Gallery of New South Wales
Eija-Liisa Ahtila: Born 1959 in Hämeenlinna, Finland. Lives and works in Helsinki, Finland
Sydney Ball: Born 1933 in Adelaide, Australia. Died 2017 in Sydney, Australia
Oliver Beer: Born 1985 in England. Lives and works in Paris, France and Kent, England
Miriam Cahn: Born 1949 in Basel, Switzerland. Lives and works in Stampa, Switzerland
Francisco Camacho Herrera: Born 1979 in Bogota, Colombia. Lives and works in Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Cercle d’Art des Travailleurs de Plantation Congolaise (CATPC) with Baloji and Renzo Martens: Founded in 2014
Roy de Maistre: Born 1894 in Bowral, Australia. Died 1968 in London, England
Lili Dujourie: Born 1941 in Roeselare, Belgium. Lives and works in Lovendegem, Belgium
Luciano Fabro: Born 1936 in Turin, Italy. Died 2007 in Milan, Italy
Marlene Gilson: Born 1944 in Warrnambool, Victoria. Lives and works in Gordon, Victoria. Wathaurung people
N.S. Harsha: Born 1969 in Mysore, India. Lives and works in Mysore
Noguchi Rika: Born 1971 in Saitama, Japan. Lives and works in Okinawa, Japan
Sa Sa Art Projects: Founded in 2010. Live and work in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Semiconductor: Founded in 1999. Live and work in Brighton, England
Roy Wiggan: Born 1930 in Sunday Island, Australia. Died 2015 in Broome, Australia. Bardi people
Riet Wijnen: Born 1988 in Venray, The Netherlands. Lives and works in Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Samson Young: Born 1979 in Hong Kong. Lives and works in Hong Kong
Biennale of Sydney Archive.
Artspace
Ai Weiwei: Born 1957 in Beijing, China. Lives and works in Berlin, Germany
Michaël Borremans: Born 1963 in Geraardsbergen, Belgium. Lives and works in Ghent, Belgium
Tiffany Chung: Born 1969 in Da Nang, Vietnam. Lives and works in Houston, USA and Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
Geng Xue: Born 1983 in Baishan, China. Lives and works in Beijing, China
Tanya Goel: Born 1985 in New Delhi, India. Lives and works in New Delhi
Carriageworks
Chen Shaoxiong: Born 1962 in Shantou, Guangdong Province, China. Died 2016 in Beijing, China
Sam Falls: Born in 1984 San Diego, USA. Lives and works Los Angeles
Marco Fusinato: Born 1964 in Melbourne, Australia. Lives and works in Melbourne
Laurent Grasso: Born 1972 in Mulhouse, France Lives and works in Paris, France and New York, USA
Trinh Thi Nguyen: Born 1973 in Hanoi, Vietnam. Lives and works in Hanoi
Semiconductor: Founded in 1999. Live and work in Brighton, England
Michael Stevenson: Born 1964 in Inglewood, New Zealand. Lives and works in Berlin, Germany
George Tjungurrayi: Born c.1943 in Kiwirrkura, Australia. Lives and works in Kintore, Australia. Pintupi people.
Cockatoo Island
Julian Abraham ‘Togar’: Born 1987 in Medan, Indonesia. Lives and works in Medan and Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Ai Weiwei: Born 1957 in Beijing, China. Lives and works in Berlin, Germany
Abraham Cruzvillegas: Born 1968 in Mexico City, Mexico. Lives and works in Mexico City
Anya Gallaccio: Born 1963 in Paisley, Scotland. Lives and works in London, England and San Diego, USA
Ryan Gander: Born 1976 in Chester, England. Lives and works in London, England
Ami Inoue: Born 1991 in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. Lives and works in Kyoto, Japan
Mit Jai Inn: Born 1960 in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Lives and works in Chiang Mai
Suzanne Lacy: Born 1945 in Wasco, USA. Lives and works in Los Angeles, USA
Nicholas Mangan: Born 1979 in Geelong, Australia. Lives and works in Melbourne, Australia
Prabhavathi Meppayil: Born 1965 in Bangalore, India. Lives and works in Bangalore
Kate Newby: Born 1979 in Auckland, New Zealand. Lives and works in Auckland, New Zealand and New York, USA
Tawatchai Puntusawasdi: Born 1971 in Bangkok, Thailand. Lives and works in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Koji Ryui: Born 1976 in Kyoto, Japan. Lives and works in Sydney, Australia
Khaled Sabsabi: Born 1965 in Tripoli, Lebanon. Lives and works in Sydney, Australia
Yasmin Smith: Born 1984 in Sydney, Australia. Lives and works in Sydney
Dimitar Solakov: Born 1987 in Sofia, Bulgaria. Lives and works in Sofia
Su-Mei Tse: Born 1973 in Luxembourg. Lives and works in Luxembourg
Martin Walde: Born 1957 in Innsbruck, Austria. Lives and works in Vienna, Austria
Wong Hoy Cheong: Born 1960 in Penang, Malaysia. Lives and works in George Town and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Yanagi Yukinori: Born 1959 in Fukuoka, Japan. Lives and works in Hiroshima, Japan.
Museum of Contemporary Art Australia
Brook Andrew: Born 1970 in Sydney, Australia. Lives and works Berlin, Germany; Melbourne, Australia; and Oxford, England
Marc Bauer: Born 1975 in Geneva, Switzerland. Lives and works in Berlin, Germany and Zurich, Switzerland
Marjolijn Dijkman: Born 1978 in Groningen, Netherlands. Lives and works in Brussels, Belgium
Simryn Gill: Born 1959 in Singapore. Lives and works in Port Dickson, Malaysia and Sydney, Australia
Hsu Chia-Wei: Born 1983 in Taichung, Taiwan. Lives and works in Taipei, Taiwan
Sosa Joseph: Born 1971 in Parumala, India. Lives and works in Kochi, India
Jacob Kirkegaard: Born 1975 in Esbjerg, Denmark Lives and works in Jyderup, Denmark
Yvonne Koolmatrie: Born 1944 in Wudinna, Australia. Lives and works in Berri, Australia. Ngarrindjeri people
Tuomas Aleksander Laitinen: Born 1976 in Riihimäki, Finland. Lives and works in Helsinki, Finland
Liza Lou: Born 1969 in New York, USA. Lives and works in Los Angeles, USA and KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Tom Nicholson: Born 1973 in Melbourne, Australia. Lives and works in Melbourne
Ciara Phillips: Born 1976 in Ottawa, Canada. Lives and works in Glasgow, Scotland
Svay Sareth: Born 1972 in Battambang, Cambodia. Lives and works in Siem Reap, Cambodia
Maria Taniguchi: Born 1981 in Dumaguete City, Philippines. Lives and works in Manila, Philippines
Esme Timbery: Born 1931 in Port Kembla, Australia. Lives and works in La Perouse, Australia. Bidjigal people
Nicole Wong: Born 1990 in Hong Kong. Lives and works in Hong Kong
Haegue Yang: Born 1971 in Seoul, South Korea. Lives and works in Berlin, Germany and Seoul
Yarrenyty Arltere Artists: Founded 2000. Alice Springs, Australia.
Sydney Opera House
Oliver Beer: Born 1985 in Kent, England. Lives and works in Paris, France and Kent, England
Rayyane Tabet: Born 1983 in Ashqout, Lebanon. Lives and works in Beirut, Lebanon
4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art
Akira Takayama: Born 1969 in Saitama, Japan. Lives and works in Tokyo, Japan; Yokohama, Japan; and Frankfurt, Germany
Jun Yang: Born 1975 in Qingtian, China. Lives and works in Vienna, Austria; Taipei, Taiwan; and Yokohama, Japan
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