The Biennale of Sydney has announced further artists, project highlights and initial programming for its 25th edition, titled Rememory, being presented free to the public from 14 March to 14 June 2026.
With the Artistic program being led by internationally acclaimed curator Hoor Al Qasimi, the 25th Biennale of Sydney: Rememory takes its title from celebrated author Toni Morrison, exploring the intersection of memory and history as a means of revisiting, reconstructing, and reclaiming histories that have been erased or repressed.
“Working with artists to bring Rememory to life, I am struck by the profound timeliness of this edition,” said Artistic Director Hoor Al Qasimi. “The Biennale has always been a site for the most vital, urgent, and resonant art of its moment.
“Yet this edition feels especially present, even insistent – an irony, perhaps, as Rememory turns to the written, visual, and oral histories of culture, context, family, and country.”
“I am deeply honoured to collaborate with such extraordinary artists, to accompany them in their processes, and to collectively honour Toni Morrison’s words. Together, we illuminate the overlooked and forgotten histories upon which the world is built.”
By engaging with Rememory, artists from across the world and within Australia reflect on their own roots while engaging with Sydney and its surrounding communities and histories, exploring global themes that connect us.
The edition will highlight marginalised narratives, share untold stories, and inspire audiences to rethink how memory shapes identity and belonging, amplifying stories from First Nations communities, and the divergent diasporas that shape Australia today. A dedicated program for children and young audiences will provide space and exploration for these stories to be passed on to the next generations.
A major international art festival and the largest contemporary art event of its kind in Australia, the 25th Biennale of Sydney will expand its reach across five major exhibition sites: White Bay Power Station, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Chau Chak Wing Museum at the University of Sydney, Campbelltown Arts Centre, and Penrith Regional Gallery.
This expanded footprint reflects a deliberate focus on inclusivity and access, particularly across Western Sydney, and will be further amplified through public programs hosted at additional venues throughout the Inner City and Greater Sydney.
Also announced are an additional 16 artists and collectives for the 2026 edition, bringing the current number to 53 with a full list to be announced in the coming months. The artists come from 31 countries including Australia, New Zealand, Guatemala, India, USA, Argentina, Lebanon, France, Ireland, Ethiopia, Algeria and Taiwan.
Audiences will experience dynamic artworks, large-scale installations and site-specific projects by international artists such as Nikesha Breeze, Dread Scott, Nahom Teklehaimanot, Tuấn Andrew Nguyễn, Joe Namy and Sandra Monterroso, alongside Australian artists including Abdul Abdullah, Dennis Golding, Helen Grace, Wendy Hubert, Richard Bell and Merilyn Fairskye & Michiel Dolk.
As Visionary Partner, the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain has worked with the Biennale of Sydney to commission 15 First Nations artists from around the world to create new work for the edition.
These artists include Ángel Poyón, Angélica Serech, Cannupa Hanska Luger, Carmen Glynn-Braun, Edgar Calel, Fernando Poyón, Frank Young & The Kulata Tjuta Project, Gabriel Chaile, Gunybi Ganambarr, John Harvey & Walter Waia, John Prince Siddon, Nancy Yukuwal McDinny, Rose B. Simpson, Tania Willard and Warraba Weatherall.
They will work closely with the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain First Nations Curatorial Fellow Bruce Johnson McLean, from the Wierdi people of the Birri Gubba Nation, to realise their artworks.
“The Biennale of Sydney is a platform for art and ideas that inspire, challenge and connect us. In this moment, more than ever, we need opportunities that invite us to step beyond our own perspectives – to encounter experiences different from our own, to reflect on what binds us together, and to celebrate what makes us human,” said Barbara Moore, Chief Executive Officer, Biennale of Sydney.
“I am so excited to present Hoor Al Qasimi’s ambitious and extraordinary edition, Rememory. Bold new commissions and dynamic programming across art, music, food, performance, talks, and workshops, will offer audiences experiences that sparks joy, deepen empathy, and ignite connection – an experience that will be as thought-provoking as it is unforgettable.”
The Biennale of Sydney is a leading international contemporary art event. It plays an indispensable role in Australia’s engagement with the world, and a meaningful role in the life of the nation.
For over 50 years, the Biennale has been a unifying force in the Australian arts sector, embedding boldly creative art exhibitions and experiences in the everyday life of Sydney and putting the artistic excellence of Australia front and centre on the world stage.
The Biennale of Sydney has commissioned and presented exceptional works of art by more than 2400 artists from more than 130 countries and territories. The Biennale of Sydney is committed to free access for all.
The Biennale of Sydney runs from 14 March to 14 June 2026. For more information and program highlights, visit: www.biennaleofsydney.art for details.
Images: Artistic Director Hoor Al Qasimi – photo by Daniel Boud | Dennis Golding, Redfern [The Block], 2018, Digital photograph, 110 x 65cm. Photograph: courtesy of the artist | Nikesha Breeze, 108 Death Masks: A Communal Prayer for Peace and Justice (installation view) 2024, bronze. Commissioned by the Equal Justice Initiative: Freedom Monument Sculpture Park. Photograph: Kate Russell © Kate Russell. Courtesy of the artist | Kulata Tjuta, Kulata Tjuta (installation view, from the series Black Mist), 2017, 1000 spears with coolamon, Mulga, spearwood, spinifex resin, kangaroo tendon, 6 channel DVD with sound dimensions. Photograph: Saul Steed. Courtesy the artist and APY Art Centre Collective. Copyright APY Art Centre Collective