Titled ‘Rivus’, the 23rd Biennale of Sydney is all set to put rivers, wetlands, and other water ecosystems front and centre.
With Art After Dark that takes place every Wednesday, you get the chance to experience the Biennale of Sydney at Barangaroo late into the night with intriguing programs, like taking in a performance or watching contemporary films from around the world.
Here are the Indian links to look out for:
“Walk of Life” (4 May)
This art series comes to you courtesy Art After Dark – Sustainable Existence.
The works by artists Thukral and Tagra showcase the socio-political discourses in India’s agrarian economy, through the journey of women farmers. Statistics show that a farmer commits suicide every 40 minutes in India, with women bearing the severity of this.
Time: 6:45 PM to 7:15 PM.
Gathering (walk) with Radha La Bia (25 May)
This comes as part of Art After Dark – Queer Ecologies.
Born in Singapore and living in Australia since 2009, Shahmen Suku’s alter ego Radha La Bia explores race, culture, gender, and religion through performance.
O Horizon (8 June)
This Indian film will screen as part of Art After Dark – Alternative Pedagogies.
It’s the result of long-standing research interest into the Visva Bharati school in Shantiniketan by Rabindranath Tagore and how the area evolved with the introduction of new flora in the campus.
The 81-minute video combines song, dance, and visual arts and is directed by the Otolith Group.
Time: 7:30 PM.
De iura Fluminis et Terrae (ongoing)
This two-act film comes to you as part of Arts for the Commons (A4C), a collective exercise for artists and activists to explore themes of migration, social and environmental justice, borders, and citizenship.
In the first act, witness the rivers and ecosystems around the world that hve been granted Legal Personhood. These include the Vilcabamba river in Ecuador, Yarra river in Australia, Yamuna and Ganga rivers in India, and Turga River in Bangladesh.
In the second act, learn about the water bodies whose cases have been brought to the International Rights of Nature Tribunal set up for earth’s protection and restoration.
The Intermezzo focuses on the sacred headwaters of the Amazon region comprising the Napo, Pastaza, and Maranon rivers that are heavily threatened by industrial development. They hold great significance for many of the Indigenous peoples and thus have intrinsic rights although not protected by western law.
De iura Fluminis et Terrae has been commissioned by the Biennale of Sydney and is supported by the Council on Australia Latin America Relations, part of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Check out this intriguing online feature here.
The 23rd Biennale of Sydney will be taking place across multiple venues: Art Gallery of New South Wales, Arts and Cultural Exchange, Barangaroo, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, National Art School in partnership with Artspace and Walsh Bay Arts Precinct.
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