Be part of the story
As Rememory prepares to close on 14 June, we’re reflecting on some of the defining stories from the 25th Biennale of Sydney.
The Biennale of Sydney is free for everyone, made possible through the generosity and support of people who believe in the power of art to connect us. If Rememory has moved, inspired or stayed with you, we invite you to help us bring more inspiring stories to life in 2028.
Stories to inspire
Shaped by artists, audiences and communities, Rememory has been a profoundly human experience. Explore here some of the stories that have resonated throughout the exhibition:
Emily Jacir
On 14th March, for the first time in over 40 years, the newly restored Entertainment Hall at White Bay Power Station – once a vibrant hub for workers and their families – was filled with bodies and movement once more.
The Belly Cries and the Dogs Laugh, by Emily Jacir in collaboration with Andrea De Siena, Valeria Taccone and Walter Laureati, was created with local and international performers, taking inspiration from various dance traditions including southern Italian Pizzica and Palestinian Dabke. With this powerful moment, the 25th Biennale of Sydney revived a long-silent space conjuring proud memories of migration, labour, community and solidarity at White Bay Power Station.
Gabriel Chaile
In the weeks before Rememory opened, an adobe clay sculpture by Argentine artist Gabriel Chaile took shape – built not with his own hands, but by a team of assistants with guidance from the artist over video call, following insurmountable travel disruptions. Yet the artist’s touch remains present, including in its activation. Also a working oven, the sculpture was fired up to serve empanadas in a community ceremony designed by the artist, performed by local Latin-American collaborators.
The resulting cracks and smouldered contours upend usual conventions of artwork care, encouraging an Indigenous understanding of cultural objects as essential components of community life and activism.
Nikesha Breeze
For the 25th Biennale of Sydney, U.S. artist Nikesha Breeze unveiled Living Histories – an immersive installation drawn from an archive of more than 2,500 first-hand accounts of the last surviving African American elders who experienced enslavement. Its centrepiece is an immense textile tree inspired by ancient baobabs.
Over months, the Biennale production team worked with the artist to develop a glue solution to stiffen the cheesecloth into bark, whilst devising a system to raise the work to the ceiling, carefully balancing its immense weight when wet against the building’s structural challenges. Suspended in space, the tree serves as a space for contemplation and truth-telling.
Wendy Hubert
In February 2026, Yindjibarndi Elder and artist Wendy Hubert, alongside the Juluwarlu Art Collective and the Yindjibarndi Rangers, led an intergenerational convoy on an epic 5,000-kilometre journey from their ancestral Yindjibarndi lands in Western Australia to Lewers: Penrith Regional Gallery, on Darug and Gundungarra lands in Western Sydney.
Together, they carried important cultural materials for a garden celebrating Yindjibarndi knowledge, sacred sites and living connections to Country, designed by the artist and her community for the 25th Biennale of Sydney. Spanning the continent and encompassing stories carried down through generations, Wendy’s garden came to life as a celebration of the resilience of Indigenous culture.
The Biennale of Sydney is free for everyone, made possible through the generosity and support of people who believe in the power of art to connect us. If Rememory has moved, inspired or stayed with you, we invite you to help us bring more inspiring stories to life in 2028.
Featuring
Image credit: 1. Emily Jacir, The Belly Cries and the Dogs Laugh, performance as part of the 25th Biennale of Sydney, March 14, 2026. White Bay Power Station, Entertainment Hall. Photograph: John McRae. 2. Gabriel Chaile, Fresh From the Oven of Gabriel Chaile – with Andina Peruvian Cuisine, performance as part of the 25th Biennale of Sydney, March 14, 2026. White Bay Power Station. Photograph: Jay Patel. 3. Nikesha Breeze, Living Histories, performance as part of the 25th Biennale of Sydney, March 14, 2026. White Bay Power Station. Photograph: Jay Patel. 4. Wendy Hubert with Lorraine Coppin and members of the Juluwarlu and Yindjibarndi Community, Ngurrawaana, 2026. Photograph: Promod Thomas. Courtesy of Juluwarlu Group Aboriginal Corporation