The Biennale of Sydney has announced that NIRIN, its 22nd edition, will be reopening from 16 June, with some venues opening from 1 June 2020.
Following an announcement by NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian that museums and galleries will be permitted to reopen next month, the Biennale of Sydney rallied partner arts organisations to extend the exhibition period for NIRIN. The exhibition was previously scheduled to conclude on 8 June 2020.
Under the artistic direction of acclaimed Indigenous Australian artist, Brook Andrew, this year’s biennale, which is artist- and First Nations-led, showcases more than 700 artworks by 101 artists and collectives from around the world. The exhibition opened to unprecedented acclaim in March but, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, closed to the public after only 10 days.
Barbara Moore, Chief Executive Officer, Biennale of Sydney said: ‘Now, more than ever, we need art to connect, collaborate and heal – all core themes of NIRIN. Reopening the 22nd Biennale of Sydney with extended exhibition dates gives people an opportunity to enjoy some of the best contemporary art from around the world, and there is no better way to do that than through a physical experience.’
‘Audiences will be able to see Wiradjuri artist Karla Dickens’ powerful installation in the vestibule of the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Visitors can immerse themselves in Gamilaroi/Gomeroi Murri Yinah artist Barbara McGrady’s extensive photographic archive at Campbelltown Arts Centre and Tennant Creek Brio’s dynamic series of paintings at Artspace. At the MCA, video works by Aziz Hazara and Erkan Özgen can be experienced as the artists envisaged them, and visitors to Cockatoo Island will have the complete sensory experience of Ibrahim Mahama’s large scale installation in the Turbine Hall. There is so much more to experience, and there is plenty of time to see it all.’
The 22nd Biennale of Sydney will be open free to the public from 16 June to 6 September 2020. Exhibition dates at each venue are as follows:
- Art Gallery of New South Wales 1 June – 27 September 2020
- Artspace 1 June – 27 September 2020
- Campbelltown Arts Centre 1 June – 11 October 2020
- Cockatoo Island 16 June – 6 September 2020
- Museum of Contemporary Art Australia 16 June – 6 September 2020 (closing date TBC)
See eye.on.art’s images from the Biennale of Sydney.
Visit the Biennale of Sydney’s website.
Source: Biennale of Sydney
Cover image: Barbara McGrady, Black Lives Matter, Martin Place, 2015. Inkjet Print. Exhibition view of the 22nd Biennale of Sydney (2020), Art Gallery of New South Wales. Photo: eye.on.art
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