25th Biennale of Sydney 'REMEMORY' Opens at Campbelltown Arts Centre
The artists exhibiting at Campbelltown Arts Centre represent countries including Australia, France, Iraq, Iran, Ireland, Kurdistan, Lebanon, Netherlands, and more.
The 25th Biennale of Sydney, titled ‘Rememory' will open to the public this weekend at Campbelltown Arts Centre. From 14 March to 14 June 2026, Campbelltown Arts Centre will showcase 12 projects from 13 countries and territories, alongside a dynamic public program. The artists exhibiting at Campbelltown Arts Centre represent countries including Australia, France, Iraq, Iran, Ireland, Kurdistan, Lebanon, Netherlands, New Zealand, Palestine, Philippines, Turkey and USA.
As a major international art festival and the largest contemporary art event of its kind in Australia, the 25th Biennale of Sydney is presented at Art Gallery of New South Wales, Chau Chak Wing Museum at the University of Sydney, Lewers: Penrith Regional Gallery, Sydney Opera House and at White Bay Power Station.
ARTISTIC DIRECTION
Curated by Hoor Al Qasimi, the 25th Biennale of Sydney, titled ‘Rememory', takes its name from celebrated author Toni Morrison, exploring the intersection of memory and history as a means of revisiting, reconstructing, and reclaiming histories. Through ‘Rememory', artists from Australia and around the world reflect on their own roots while engaging with Sydney and its surrounding communities and histories, exploring global themes that connect us.
The edition highlights marginalised narratives, share untold stories, and inspires 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 provides space and exploration for these stories to be passed on to the next generations.
FEATURED PROJECTS
Campbelltown Arts Centre is proud to exhibit artists Hoda Afshar, Vernon Ah Kee and Behrouz Boochani, who will present a four-channel video installation as part of their newly commissioned ‘Code Black/Riot' project. ‘Code Black/Riot' exposes how youth detention targets Indigenous children in Australia. Through interviews and filmed moments of play, the work reveals the violence inherent in a system that deprives children of a future.
In addition, Campbelltown Arts Centre presents filmmakers and artists Joana Hadjithomas & Khalil Joreige who have created a new immersive multimedia installation reflecting on clandestine migration from northern Lebanon toward Australia. Drawing on stories of interrupted journeys and prolonged confinement on Christmas Island, and inspired by the island's annual red crab migration, the work explores movement shaped by displacement, waiting, and systems of control.
Campbelltown Arts Centre has hosted artists Vicente Telles and Norberto Roldan as part of the Biennale program. During their stay, the artists have connected with the local community and have created work on site.
Feras Shaheen, in collaboration with Jonny Scholes, has created an experimental and interactive performance work, ‘Blocked Duwar', based on Feras Shaheen's experience of maintaining Palestinian identity within diaspora. ‘Blocked Duwar' blends video game technology, sound, user interface and experience design while asking viewers to confront their own role in local and global systems of power, the perpetuation of propaganda, and the liberation of Indigenous people.
EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES
To celebrate the opening weekend, Campbelltown Arts Centre will present a Panel talk with Hoda Afshar, Vernon Ah Kee and Behrouz Boochani and First Nations advocacy organisation Change The Record, and Spotlight Talks with exhibiting artists Norberto Roldan, Vicente Telles and Helen Grace. Campbelltown Arts Centre will also present guided exhibition tours, a Teacher Preview evening, and a tertiary talk with Helen Grace.
“We're proud to welcome the 25th Biennale of Sydney to Campbelltown. Hosting an internationally recognised art event like this is a fantastic opportunity for our residents and visitors to experience world-class art right here in our city. It provides a unique opportunity for our community to celebrate the creativity and diversity we see reflected in our region,” said Mayor of Campbelltown, Cr Darcy Lound.
“We're proud to present the 25th Biennale of Sydney, ‘Rememory', here in Campbelltown. The exhibition brings together an extraordinary group of artists from around the world. Several of the artists are currently unable to travel from their home countries, making the opportunity to experience their work here even more significant. We welcome visitors to engage with the artworks and reflect on a variety of perspectives,” said Mouna Zaylah, Director of Campbelltown Arts Centre.
BIENNALE OF SYDNEY
Barbara Moore, Chief Executive Officer, Biennale of Sydney said: "As we open the 25th Biennale of Sydney across Greater Sydney, visitors are invited to experience extraordinary contemporary art from Australia and around the world in places where communities live, gather and create. The Biennale brings people together through newly commissioned and presented artworks that engage with contemporary ideas and the world we live in, inspiring and challenging perspectives and in turn fostering a shared sense of community and belonging. At a time when the world can feel divided, the Biennale shares stories from people living today, embracing freedom of thought and our common humanity.”
Artistic Director Hoor Al Qasimi said: “Rememory has been shaped by artists whose practices are grounded in lived experience, cultural knowledge, and community. Many of the works in this edition draw on personal, familial and collective histories to reflect on how memory is carried across generations, and how histories that have been fragmented or suppressed can be revisited and reassembled through art.
“For many of the artists in the Biennale, creating work with, by and for community is fundamental. Their practices recognise that memory lives not only in archives or institutions, but in people, places and shared experiences. Bringing these voices together across Sydney allows audiences to encounter powerful perspectives from around the world while reflecting on the histories and communities that shape this city.”
ARTISTS
- Basel Abbas (USA / Palestine) and Ruanne Abou-Rahme (USA / Palestine)
- Basil Al-Rawi (Ireland / Iraq)
- Behrouz Boochani (Kurdistan / Iran / Aotearoa (New Zealand)), Hoda Afshar (Iran / Australia) and Vernon Ah Kee (Kuku Yalandji, Waanji, Yidinji and Gugu Yimithirr, Australia)
- Dread Scott (USA)
- Feras Shaheen with Jonny Scholes
- Helen Grace (Australia)
- Joana Hadjithomas (Lebanon / France) and Khalil Joreige (Lebanon / France)
- Mounira Al Solh (Lebanon / Netherlands)
- Nasri Sayegh (Lebanon)
- Nil Yalter (Turkey / France)
- Norberto Roldan (Philippines)
- Vicente Telles (USA)
EXHIBITION DATES
- 14th March – 14th June 2026: Exhibition dates (Campbelltown Arts Centre)
- Friday, 13 March: Lights On opening night (White Bay Power Station)
- Wednesday 11 – Friday 13 March 2026: Vernissage (Professional Preview)
Admission is free.
PERFORMANCE DATES
- ‘Blocked Duwar' | 26 – 28 March 2026
- By Feras Shaheen in collaboration with Jonny Scholes
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