Bonus: Biennale of Sydney 2026 – What Worked, What Didn't & Why It Matters

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A candid review of the 25th Biennale of Sydney, spanning five venues across Greater Sydney: from a regional gallery that got everything right to an old Power Station full of missed opportunities. I spent 10 hours at the media preview visiting all five venues: Lewers Penrith Regional Gallery, Chau Chak Wing Museum, Campbelltown Arts Centre, Art Gallery of New South Wales and White Bay Power Station. This isn't a comprehensive report, it’s my personal takeaway on what works (and what fails) when it comes to installation art at an international exhibition. The 25th Biennale of Sydney, titled Rememory and curated by Hoor Al-Qasimi, demonstrates something that's come up again and again on this podcast: you can have prestigious artists, important topics and historic venues, but if the lighting is wrong, if there's nowhere to sit, if the space outshines the art… it doesn't work. What I cover: • Why Lewers: Penrith Regional Gallery was the standout venue • Some highlighted works from each venue • The 11-minute sound installation no one experiences beyond 15 seconds – and other accessibility challenges • Documentation vs art – where is the line? • A moment of comparison: do island Biennales create better experiences?

00:32 Biennale of Sydney Facts 02:57 Penrith Gallery Highlight 05:32 Everyone’s Favorite Installation 08:06 Chau Chak Wing Museum 10:31 Campbelltown Art Centre - Documentary Debate 13:21 Art Gallery of NSW Picks 17:12 White Bay Venue Challenges 22:26 Video Overload Critique 26:32 Installation Missteps 32:48 Final Takeaways

Biennale of Sydney 2026: Rememory is on view until 14 June 2026, free entry More info: https://www.biennaleofsydney.art/

Review by art critic Christopher Allen: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/culture/worse-than-anticipated-how-the-sydney-biennale-became-a-site-of-mediocrity-and-irrelevance/news-story/efd37fe54c91806748fd89fda76f65f6

Also mentioned in this episode: Biennale of Sydney: https://www.biennaleofsydney.art/ | https://www.instagram.com/biennalesydney/ | @biennaleofsydney Venice Biennale episode: https://installationartpodcast.com/bonus-013 Helsinki Biennial episode: https://installationartpodcast.com/bonus-039 Lewers: Pentrith Regional Art Gallery: https://www.penrithregionalgallery.com.au/ | https://www.instagram.com/penrithregionalgallery/ Nora Adwan: https://noraadwan.com/home.html | https://www.instagram.com/adwan.nora/ Chau Chak Wing Museum: https://www.sydney.edu.au/museum/ | https://www.instagram.com/ccwm_sydney/ Michael Dagostino: https://www.sydney.edu.au/museum/about-us/our-people.html Ema Shin: https://emashin.org/home.html | https://www.instagram.com/ema.shin/ Tuan Andrew Nguyen: https://www.tuanandrewnguyen.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/tuan.andrew.nguyen/ Cambelltown Arts Centre: https://www.campbelltownartscentre.com.au/Home | https://www.instagram.com/campbelltownartscentre/ | @campbelltownartscentre8258 Hoor Al-Qasimi: https://www.biennaleofsydney.art/hoor-al-qasimi/ | https://www.instagram.com/hooralq/ Joana Hadjithomas & Khalil Joreige: https://hadjithomasjoreige.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/studiohadjithomasjoreige/ Art Gallery of NSW: https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/ Kuba Dorabialski: https://www.kubadorabialski.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/kubadora/ Mia Wasikowska: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1985859/ | https://www.instagram.com/mia_wasikowska_/ Taysir Batniji: https://www.taysirbatniji.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/taysir_batniji/ Kapwani Kiwanga: https://www.kapwanikiwanga.org/ Ron Mueck: https://ropac.net/artists/63-ron-mueck/ | https://www.instagram.com/ronmueckart/ Mike Hewson: https://mikehewson.co.nz/ | https://www.instagram.com/mikehewson/ MCA: https://www.mca.com.au/ | https://www.instagram.com/mca_australia | @mcaaustra