Next year’s 20th anniversary Biennale of Sydney is inspired by a quote from science-fiction author William Gibson: “The future is already here – it’s just not evenly distributed”. The Asia Pacific’s largest contemporary arts event will take place throughout Sydney from Friday March 18 until Sunday June 5.
Biennale of Sydney will this time around spread itself out over the city, concentrating on (but not limiting itself to) “seven embassies for thought” – spaces that serve as transient homes for constellations of ideas.
The locations 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 (Embassy of Translation); and a bookshop (Embassy of Stanislaw Lem). For the first time, a former train station, Mortuary Station (Embassy of Transition) will also be a Biennale venue.
At next year’s Biennale, more than a third of the works can be explored at spaces withinSydney’s vibrant Inner West.
“One of the key ideas this Biennale explores is how the common distinction between the virtual and the physical has become ever more elusive,”says artistic director Stephanie Rosenthal.“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.”
Mortuary Station (Embassy of Transition) is sure to be a highlight of the program, hosting works that explore the cycles of life and death in addition to rites of passage. The Victorian era train station, which was used solely for funerary purposes in the 1800s, will include exhibits fromMarco Chiandetti and Charwei Tsai.
Aseries of performances and site-specific installations will also take place across the various embassies, featuring the likes ofBoris Charmatz, Neha Choksi andJustene Williams with the Sydney Chamber Opera.
The Biennale of Sydney 2016 runs for 12 weeks at multiple venues across the city, with free entry to exhibitions. 2016 is set to be a huge year, so register your interest early for the opening week.For more information regarding the artists, works and locations, head over to the Biennale of Sydney website.
