Ben Apfelbaum

22ND BIENNALE OF SYDNEY : NIRIN : 12 MARCH-8 JUNE 2020

The 22nd Biennale of Sydney has opened and visitors  are faced with an overwhelming choice of experiences  when 101 artists from over 40 countries will exhibit 700 works and some 600 events will take place over 87 days. The remarkable thing is that all this cornucopia of artistic endeavour is absolutely free!

Brook Andrew, the Artistic Director of the Biennale, has named its theme as NIRIN which means Edge in Wiradjuri, his mother’s language. This language is spoken by the indigenous people of Western New South Wales.

To be on the edge means you have almost limitless possibilities. You can jump or go sideways to see the limits of the edge or you can move backwards and assess from where you have come.

The artists who have taken up the challenge of NIRIN’s Edge deal with First Nation issues. Locally there are 39 indigenous artists represented in NIRIN . We, the media, were given a sneak preview  of the bounty that awaits visitors to the various venues which are participating in the Biennale.

We visited six venues in one day which was  mind blowing and, at times, difficult to process but I will attempt to distill this vivid experience.

The first venue was the National  Art School where the exhibition reflected on extinction, death, life, change and healing. Its central theme is that of BILA, which means River: Environment, a focus on the complex ecologies that make up our world and the environmental crises we now face.

The second  venue, at the Campbelltown Arts Centre, uses striking images, slogans, video and spatial experiences to present urgent messages of both oppression and self empowerment. There are personal and collective tales that create an immersive experience where one encounters a collision of historical and modern objects. This is embodied in  the theme of GURRAY, which means transformation.

The third venue was Artspace  in Woolloomooloo. Its theme was MURIGUWAL GIILAND which means Different Stories. The works presented demonstrate the variety of ways  that artists can complicate and challenge conservative views

Historical materials and cultural artefacts from disused poker machines to world war first aid stretchers to reworked colonial imagery are presented  not merely as an almost nostalgic view of an oppressive past, but how colonial forms have morphed to evade recognition, become obscured and be buried so that generational trauma can be repeated again and again.

The fourth venue was the Art Gallery Of New South Wales. NIRIN is situated throughout the ground level occupying the facade, vestibule, entrance court and ‘invading’ the collection in the Grand Courts, subverting the Courts’ manifesto that only Western Art should be presented in these august chambers.

A strong theme informing this exhibition is DHAAGUN which means earth, sovereignty and working together.

The sovereignty of  traditional collections have been usurped by NIRIN artists which somehow create a collaboration and harmony despite paradoxical origins. Mention must be made of the work of the late Kunmanara MuMu Mike Williams, whose posters of protest, created with the assistance of younger indigenous artists, dominate the ceiling of the entrance court.

The fifth venue was the Museum Of Contemporary Art. Archives and historical paintings (here referred to as POWERFUL OBJECTS) are placed throughout the exhibition. One of them is a living representation of the oppression of Japanese women who were prevented from tattooing any part of their body as was previously the case in the distant past. Her tattooed lips represent the reclamation of both an ancient tradition and an overcoming of female oppression.

The tattoo theme was echoed in. the decorations of a restored ferry NIRIN HAIVETA which featured tattoo markings  celebrating and honouring women of the Pacific Islands , which transported us to Cockatoo Island, our sixth an d final venue.

A major theme is that of BAGARY-BANG (healing) with artists bringing healing practices from their own cultural contexts to address histories of colonialism, the removal of people from land and environmental devastation. The borders of an island no longer hold and protect, but are being rapidly eroded.  Whilst acknowledging the atrocities perpetrated in many pasts, the vast turbine halls and colonial cottages as well as outdoor spaces are an ideal venue for the artists to consider how we heal and what comes next.

The public program, NIRIN WIR meaning Edge Of The Sky includes over 600 events stretching from the Blue Mountains to the Sydney Observatory and on to La Perouse. Highlights include ‘To cook Cook or not?’ a debate featuring performances by Thelma Plum, at the Sydney Town Hall, ‘Stories We Never Tell’, a performative walking tour of the Parramatta Female Factory Precinct, ‘4ESydney HipHop Festival and Bankstown Poetry Slam on Cockatoo Island., plus artists  talks, tours and workshops for young people and families every weekend and during school holidays.

The Biennale of Sydney 2020 has done its best to be plastic free with the utilisation of recyclable materials. The imposition did not involve any artistic restriction however as occasionally non- recyclable materials  were used to construct an installation or to make a point.

We, the media, had the opportunity to meet many of the artists who were present to show and discuss their work. They were nearly mowed by the media horde thirsting to know their origins, creative processes  and artistic vision.

If  you are aware that an artist is present at his or her exhibit you will be delighted and informed if you interact with them.

The 2018 Biennale had a record attendance with 854,000 visitations. Given what we saw NIRIN deserves to crack the 1,000,000 mark or even more.

For information on the exhibition, visit biennaleofsydney.art. For event bookings go to biennaleofsydney.art/events.

All pics by Ben Apfelbaum.

Featured image : Colectivo Ayull – Migrantes Transgresorxs @ Artspace

 

 

 

Published by Ben Apfelbaum

My photography began when my father handed me the proverbial brownie box camera as a child. As cameras developed I went through Fujica and Olympus range finders graduating to my first single lens reflex camera, the Minolta SRT101, the latter being the greatest facilitator to my growth as a photographer. Digital photography has only added to this. I was a regular contributor to Camera Craft magazine (Australian Camera ) for over three years. During Australia’s Bicentennial year (1988) I made it a personal project to document the celebrations. This culminated in the creation of a book of my photos which was published in 1989. The book was called CELEBRATING AUSTRALIA and came with an accompanying calendar. My works have appeared in a number of publications including the coffee book entitled MY AUSTRALIA (1989), publisher Robertsbridge Severn. This book had a preface by the then Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke. I was a co-photographer on a book entitled SYDNEY- DISCOVER THE CITY with text written by Robert Treborland. Major Mitchell Press was the publisher. Also for two years I was the photographer for calendars celebrating Sydney’s multicultural communities. The two calendars were entitled MULTICULTURAL SYDNEY. My work appeared in a group exhibition held at Sydney’s Town Hall pertaining to the diversity of life in South America to raise money for orphanages there. I have over one hundred photos stored in the New South Wales State Library archive. I had a solo exhibition held in 2007 entitled Ben’s Lens at the Sydney Jewish Museum which celebrated the vibrancy of the Sydney Jewish community. Some of these photos are on the Museum’s permanent display. I have exhibited internationally firstly at the Spruill Gallery in Atlanta Georgia, united states, and in an exhibition entitled Kosher and Co at the Jewish Museum in Berlin. Currently I am a regular contributor to J-Wire and this esteemed publication.