How NIRIN contests history by placing art at the edge
Artistic Director Brook Andrew says, 'NIRIN is not a periphery, it is our centre'. We take a look at two venues on the edge for this year's Biennale of Sydney to see how grass roots engagement is redefining the centre.
Hannah Catherine Jones, Owed to Diaspora (detail). Presented by NAS Gallery for 22nd Biennale of Sydney. Image supplied.
While biennales globally have championed the use of satellite sites – raw warehouses, disused factories, churches and island outposts – the compulsion to dwell on the wow has often been to the detriment of more subtle conversations at the edge.
For this year’s Biennale of Sydney – titled NIRIN, a Wiradjuri word meaning edge – Aboriginal artist and Artistic Director Brook Andrew has created a broad reaching exhibition that amplifies the grass roots – or the edges.
Gina Fairley is ArtsHub's Senior Contributor, after 12 years in the role as National Visual Arts Editor. She has worked for extended periods in America and Southeast Asia, as gallerist, arts administrator and regional contributing editor for a number of magazines, including Hong Kong based Asian Art News and World Sculpture News. She is an Art Tour leader for the AGNSW Members, and lectures regularly on the state of the arts. She is based in Mittagong, regional NSW.
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