Opening Party: 24th Biennale of Sydney at UNSW Galleries
4.30–8.00pm Wednesday 6 March 2024
Celebrate the opening of the 24th Biennale of Sydney, ‘Ten Thousand Suns’ at UNSW Galleries. Join us for a major celebration of the 22 artists presented at UNSW Galleries. The night will feature music brought to you by DJ Gemma and catering by Sahtein Lebanese Feasts. The exhibition will officially be opened by Lord Mayor of Sydney Clover Moore.
2.00–2.30 pm Saturday 9 March 2024
Join us for a spotlight talk with artist Idas Losin as she discusses the themes and content of her major new painting commission for the 24th Biennale of Sydney at UNSW Galleries. Losin will provide insight into her broader practice, exploring her Taiwanese Indigenous identity and connections to the Austronesian language group.
Spotlight Talk: Udeido Collective
2.30–3.00pm Saturday 9 March 2024
Join us for a spotlight talk with artist Dicky Takndare of Udeido Collective as they discuss the themes and content of their work featured in the 24th Biennale of Sydney at UNSW Galleries. Takndare will offer insight into how Udeido Collective was formed, and the social-cultural dynamics of Papua, Indonesia that is explored in their work.
Panel: Decolonial Cartographies
3.00–3.45pm Saturday 9 March 2024
Hear from artists Megan Cope, Nikau Hindin, and Rongomai Grbic-Hoskins in conversation with 24th Biennale of Sydney Curatorial Advisor Vivian Ziherl. Together they will discuss strategies for disrupting Western constructs of time and geography. The conversation will offer insight into revitalising First Nations mapping and navigational practices and technologies, and explores how these processes can become acts of decolonial cartography.
Mapurtiti Nonga (Evil Ass Dreaming):
Scientific Extractions, Sex Capital & Farty Spirits from Settler Northern Territory
4.00–4.45pm Saturday 9 March 2024
Learn more about Yangamini, the guerrilla collective of trans and non-binary First Nations people and accomplices from the Tiwi Islands. This program brings together Tiwi-Warlpiri Sistagirl Elder and Yangamini founder Crystal Love in conversation with fellow members Jens Cheung and Nadine Lee. Together they will discuss a range of issues at the core of their collective including First Nations land rights, sexual diversity, and rhetorical sustainability. They will provide insight into their major new commission for the 24th Biennale of Sydney which turns a critical eye on the mining industry and extractivism in settler Northern Territory.
6.00–7.30pm Saturday 9 March 2024
How can art reconfigure our collective foundational myths? And of what should we let go on the journey towards figuring it out? Celebrate the launch of What to Let Go? — a new publication unpacking the historical narratives and political memories linked with objects, sites, and ceremonies that have been lost, looted, restituted, repatriated, revived, or reinvented. Moderated by Claire Shea, this panel discussion brings together editors Cosmin Costinaş and Inti Guererro in conversation with contributors Nikau Hindin, Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung, Pablo José Ramírez, Marian Pastor Roces, and Vivian Ziherl. Together they will discuss what counts as heritage now, who gets to do the counting, and broader related issues around the subject of cultural sovereignty. Co-published by Para Site and Sternberg Press.
Workshop: Interior Effects as an Outcome of War
2.00–3.00pm Saturday 20 April 2024
Join artist Bonita Ely in a workshop to explore the ongoing, intergenerational effects of undiagnosed posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) suffered by family members of returned soldiers. During the workshop, Ely shares her family’s experiences following her father’s return home after the Second World War, and how this informed her artwork Interior Decoration in the 24th Biennale of Sydney. While PTSD is notoriously difficult to treat, Ely proposes that artistic expression, meditation, and sharing experiences openly may help ameliorate the insidious effects of this trauma. This workshop aims to offer a pathway to deeper understanding through self-reflection and a sense of community.
Unpacking Murder: William Yang & Ellie Buttrose
2.00–3.00pm Saturday 18 May 2024
Hear from artist William Yang in conversation with curator Ellie Buttrose as they unpack the harrowing story behind Yang’s photographic series My Uncle’s Murder featured in the 24th Biennale of Sydney. This series recounts the murder of William Fang Yuen in 1922 at the hands of a White plantation manager in far north Queensland. Together Yang and Buttrose will discuss the contributions of the Chinese migrant community to agricultural progress in Queensland, the ongoing ramifications of the White Australia Policy, and Yang’s honest and enduring commitment to uncovering histories that would otherwise remain hidden.
Sounds of the Desert: Stories of the Cameleers
11.00am–3.00pm Saturday 25 May 2024
Between 1860 and 1920, Australia relied upon mostly Islamic cameleers from South Asia, Southwest Asia, and North Africa to transport supplies, communication infrastructure, and colonial society between regional outposts. Known as ‘Afghan’ cameleers, they traversed the continent’s interior, intersecting with the tracks already established by First Nations peoples, forming an intercultural bond. This one-day program expands on the research of artist Elyas Alavi, exploring the forgotten histories of the Afghan cameleers in Australia. Bringing together the descendants of these communities, the program will engage audiences through storytelling, knowledge-sharing, poetry, performance, and film.
In-Conversation: Leila el Rayes & Sebastian Henry-Jones
2.00–3.00pm Saturday 1 June 2024
Join artist Leila el Rayes for a conversation with West Space curator Sebastian Henry-Jones, as they discuss artmaking as a catalyst for social change and hopeful futures. Together they will discuss el Rayes’ new sculptural commission for the 24th Biennale of Sydney which interrogates the complexity of multilayered identities that defy categorisation. The conversation will explore ideas concerning decolonial theory, artistic expression under capitalism, and considers the evolving role of art in tying communities together.