Biennale of Sydney

Badu Gili is a celebration of First Nations art and storytelling, showcasing First Nations artists on Sydney’s most iconic landmark. 

The Biennale of Sydney is excited to partner with the Sydney Opera House and the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain in this major creative collaboration.  

Curated by the Biennale of Sydney, this new co-commission elevates First Nations artists from across Australia and the world in a visual dialogue that affirms the dynamism, relevance and importance of First Nations stories, art, and connections for everyone.  

‘Where the knowledge waters meet’ 

Tubowgale, the land on which the Sydney Opera House stands, has been a meeting place for storytelling and community for over 60,000 years. Badu Gili which means ‘water light’ in Gadigal language, illuminates this history and the significance of Bennelong Point, as it is now known, and for the meeting place it continues to be today.  

Badu Gili: Celestial is the first iteration in this multi-year commission, which has been led by Tony Albert, the inaugural Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain First Nations Curatorial Fellow 

Artists selected by the Biennale of Sydney are invited to reimagine their works as six-minute digital animations that appears hourly on the Opera House’s eastern Bennelong sails each night from sunset. These animations, with their evocative accompanying soundscape, are inspired by their ancestral stories, art-making practices and culture, aims to bring visitors and the local community together and to celebrate a shared sense of belonging for all Australians.

Badu Gili: Celestial is the first iteration of this creative collaboration between the Biennale of Sydney, the Sydney Opera House and the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain.

To learn more about the history of Badu Gili at the Sydney Opera House, click on the button below: