Thinking bigger: talking First Nations partnerships with Fondation Cartier

Fondation Cartier’s Hervé Chandès and artist Tony Albert talk about the role of trust when commissioning projects, and the importance of escalating visibility.
Fondation Cartièr. A man of Indigenous appearance is wearing a brightly coloured purple, pink and turquoise shirt with short sleeves, has his arms crossed and is leaving against a wall smiling at the camera.

As the Biennale of Sydney settles into its 13-week run, some of the noise around its opening has started to settle beyond buzz – and to register as real impact.

One example is an expanded partnership with Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, which has enabled the delivery of 14 new artworks by First Nations artists. It is not the first time the Fondation has supported the Biennale – or, indeed, a major organisation has enabled transformative change (we only need to think of the Biennale’s founding partner Transfield).

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Gina Fairley is ArtsHub's National Visual Arts Editor. For a decade she worked as a freelance writer and curator across Southeast Asia and was previously the Regional Contributing Editor for Hong Kong based magazines Asian Art News and World Sculpture News. Prior to writing she worked as an arts manager in America and Australia for 14 years, including the regional gallery, biennale and commercial sectors. She is based in Mittagong, regional NSW. Twitter: @ginafairley Instagram: fairleygina