Push to include La Perouse in Biennale 2020 for Cook’s landing anniversary
Our First Nation’s strong links to La Perouse, from the unbroken connection to the land to its history of protest that includes hosting Australia’s first Survival Day concert, could be a focus of Biennale 2020.
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Australia’s biggest contemporary visual arts event, Biennale of Sydney, is moving to put a global spotlight on La Perouse’s rich First Nation heritage next year as a counterpoint to the 250th anniversary celebrations of Captain Cook’s landing at Botany Bay.
La Perouse, that sits on Botany Bay and looks across to Kurnell’s Silver Beach where Captain James Cook and his HMS Endeavour dropped anchor in 1770, is Sydney’s only suburb where our First Nation people have a 7,500-year unbroken connection to the land.
It was also where the first Survival Day concert was held on January 26, 1992, to recognise the survival of Australia’s first people.
“The Biennale is interested in activating heritage sites and enhancing the critical view La Perouse plays in counteracting the Cook narrative,” Biennale of Sydney acting CEO Barbara Moore said.
Moore added the theme of the 22nd Biennale of Sydney NIRIN, a Wiradjuri word meaning edge, reflected on the 2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages.
“The 22nd Biennale of Sydney is an artist and First Nation-led endeavour that will bring together artists, makers, scientists, academics and thinkers from around the world,” she said.
“It will deliver artworks, insights, ideas and projects that challenge dominant narratives, share Indigenous knowledge, displace conventional notions of the centre and reimagine the role of the arts institution.
“In the year of the 250th anniversary of Captain Cook’s landing, art is an essential catalyst for change.
“Each visit to NIRIN will be a new and different experience. Through collaborative interventions, we will create a more inclusive culture; one that brings together people from across Sydney, the state, country and the world.”
Moore said the Biennale of Sydney organisers were keen to continue discussions with Randwick Council to develop suitably themed cultural programs and creative arts activities that reflected the 2020 Biennale’s focus on First Nation languages.
Part of this could be the launch of the Biennale of Sydney program at the Prince Henry Centre at Little Bay on September 12, where the full list of artists invited to participate in the 22nd Biennale of Sydney and the education program would be announced.
Randwick Council voted to investigate opportunities to participate in the 22nd Biennale of Sydney at its ordinary council meeting this week.
Mayor Kathy Neilson said this was an incredibly exciting time for the arts lovers of Randwick City who won’t have to travel far to participate in events of the 22nd Biennale of Sydney.
“The Sydney Biennale is one of the leading contemporary arts events in the world and connects local artists with a global audience,” she said.
“Close to one million people experience the work of leading and cutting edge artists from around the world during the three-moth run of the exhibition.
“The 2020 Biennale will highlight the importance of First Nation languages, which holds particular relevance for our community in La Perouse, so we’re committed to exploring the ways we can hold satellite events at the La Perouse Museum and its surrounds.”
FAST FACTS
• The Biennale of Sydney is a three-month long annual exhibition of contemporary art and ideas that showcase the works of many artists from more than 100 countries
• The 21st Biennale of Sydney (2018) created an estimated spend in Sydney of just over $36 million
• The inaugural Biennale of Sydney was held in 1973 as part of the opening celebrations of the Sydney Opera House
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