Sydney Biennale 2006

The Sydney Biennale is a veritable feast of artworks dotted around various Sydney venues. Some of the artists are relatively obscure, but there are a few more well-known names to help prevent one feeling completely ignorant. I have sampled a few over the past three weeks. The standout exhibit surely has to be Antony Gormley's 'Asian Field' 2003 which can be found at Pier 2/3, Walsh Bay. Occupying the upper level, a vast horde of small clay figurines gazes at the viewer. This field of figures is contained by a wall across the space which both contains and concentrates the effect of the mass upon the viewer. One does not have access into the field - in fact as is often the case an alarm sounds if one gets too close. The field is impressive and compelling, a sea of faces staring back at the viewer. The features are simplified but each is slightly different. Unusually, in the space next to this horde is a series of photographic portraits of the people who made this population - the inhabitants of XianXian Village, Guangzhou, China. Alongside each portrait are photographs of the figures they have made, each with their own quirks and interpretation of the basic structure. In a wry touch Gormley has added his own photo amongst this series.

Also at the pier is Adrian Paci's 'Noise of Light,' (2006) a huge chandelier powered by diesel generators. The quantity of electricity to supply this chandelier is not insignificant as the generators attest. The allusion to wasteful, opulent lifestyles is clear. Ironically the chandelier is so beautiful and incongruent in it's setting that one can't help feeling that the excessive consumption is somehow worth it for the aesthetic effect alone.

Another work that stood out is "Please do not step" by Hamra Abbas, in which artistic traditions of Christianity and Islam converge in the form of delicately painted panels with gothic style lettering and references to modern day religious politics. The work occupies a space in which the words "Please do not step" form a floor pattern in traditional Islamic style overlaid with glass.

I will return to the Biennale in another post to discuss John Reynold's "Cloud" at the Art Gallery of New South Wales and Sharon Lockhart's photographs at the Australian Centre for Photography.