Biennale of Sydney: Rememory Unveils Full Artist Program For 25th Edition

A slate of new artists were announced for the Biennale of Sydney on Tuesday, as the exhibition gears up for its 25th edition, Rememory running from 14 March to 14 June this year. 

Taking its title from celebrated author Toni Morrison, exploring the intersection of memory and history as a means of revisiting, reconstructing, and reclaiming histories, this edition of the Biennale invites artists to reflect on their own roots while engaging with Sydney and its surrounding communities and histories, exploring global themes that connect us.

The program highlights marginalised narratives, inspiring audiences to rethink how memory shapes identity and belonging, and amplifying stories from First Nations communities, and the divergent diasporas that shape Australia today. Children and younger audiences will also be given a space in which to consider this, with a dedicated age appropriate program providing space and exploration for these stories to be passed on to the next generations.

The 33 newly announced artists include Ángel Poyón, Angélica Serech, Cannupa Hanska Luger, Carmen Glynn-Braun, alongside Australian artists Abdul Abdullah, Dennis Golding, Helen Grace, Wendy Hubert, among others.

The now 83 artists, collaborations, and collectives hail from  37 countries including Australia, New Zealand, Guatemala, India, USA, Argentina, Lebanon, France, Ireland, Ethiopia, Algeria and Taiwan.

“Rememory is shaped by artists and cultural practitioners who understand memory as something living—where history informs the present and repeats itself in different forms. Through their practices, histories that have been fragmented, erased or suppressed are revisited and reassembled, not as linear accounts but as shared and evolving acts of remembering,” said Artistic Director Hoor Al Qasimi.

“Drawing on personal, familial and collective experiences, the artists in this edition reveal how the past remains present, inviting audiences to engage actively with memory as a space of responsibility, reflection and possibility.”

Melbourne-based textile artist Ema Shin will be exhibiting her largest work to date, a two-meter-tall 3D handwoven heart, at the Chau Chak Wing Museum. Inspired by a treasured family tree kept by her grandfather spanning 32 generations and including only the names of male family members and women who have given birth to sons, Shin’s works are a meditation on the historic and cultural erasure of women, and a tribute to the women who are absent from her family history.

Also on show will be the great Ngurrara Canvas II, by the Ngurrara artists of the Great Sandy Desert Western Australia, marking its final presentation away from the artists’ country. Presented at the Art Gallery of NSW, the 80 square meter floor canvas is one of the largest and most spectacular Aboriginal paintings, made by Western Desert artists. Made in 1997 for presentation to the National Native Title Tribunal to demonstrate Ngurrara people’s connection to country for Native Title purposes, the work will be honoured with Traditional owners, including two dance troupes, travelling to Sydney for a special public performance.

Hugely expansive program stretches imagination over months

The exhibition launches on Friday 13 March with opening night concert Lights On at White Bay Power Station, where audiences will be able to explore the exhibition while enjoying vibrant performances from Brooklyn-based DJ Haram, FBi radio’s Maz, inter-cultural First Nations fronted contemporary music ensemble Hand to Earth, and American artist Niecy Blues, who merges soul, ambient and spoken word.

Over the opening weekend of 14-15 March, free performances, talks and art activations will take place, including a series of Spotlight Artist Talks, where artists present alongside their works. Performances will activate the artworks of Nikesha Breeze and Marian Abboud, and a special musical performance by Indigenous artist Nancy McDinny with her son, daughter and sister, will take place alongside her new series of paintings depicting the dramatic roll clouds of her Country for the exhibition.

A range of additional programs will be taking place throughout the Biennale, including curated Art After Dark programs at White Bay Power Station each Friday evening, general art tours, history tours of White Bay Power Station in partnership with Museums of History NSW, Family Days, Youth programs, education programs and access programs.

Every Saturday and Sunday, White Bay Power Station will host the Memory Lane Food Markets that bring Rememory to life. The markets celebrate food as living memory, where dishes are shaped by family, migration, land and identity — inviting visitors to experience the Biennale not just once, but week after week across the full season.

“At its core, the Biennale of Sydney brings people together through art, offering cultural experiences that invite audiences to encounter different perspectives, listen deeply, and engage in meaningful connection,” said Chief Executive Officer of the Biennale, Barbara Moore.

“Rememory creates space to reflect on the ideas and histories that shape our world, while fostering dialogue across cultures, communities, and generations. Through free and inclusive access, this edition invites everyone to experience Sydney as a vibrant, global cultural city.”