Senator the Hon Helen Coonan
Minister for Communications,
Information Technology
and the Arts

Deputy Leader of the Government
in the Senate

Zones of Contact

Address to the opening of the 15th Biennale of Sydney

Sydney
Wednesday 7 June 2006

Thank you Luca Belgiorno -Nettis [Chairman – Sydney Biennale].

It is wonderful to be here to open the 15th Biennale of Sydney.

In these days when we are very conscious of icons, the Biennale ranks with the best!

As Meghan Shaughnessy said:

“in the age of the iPod … the Biennale is a representation of the current art scene … it is like the 'play list', an exhibition of creativity and culture that gives us exactly what we want and expect from contemporary art”

A little bit provocative, always entertaining and guaranteed to stimulate, the Biennale is renowned for showcasing diverse and innovative contemporary art from Australia and around the world.

This year, the Biennale of Sydney is presented in partnership with the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the Museum of Contemporary Art and a number of satellite venues and outdoor locations around the city.

From the spectacular Pier 2/3, in Walsh Bay to the Sydney Opera House and the historic Hyde Park Barracks, it is these partnerships that allow the biennale to envelop Sydney and layer the art into the fabric of the Sydney rich visual streetscape.

To the world, the Biennale of Sydney presents a highly respected and sophisticated view of Australian culture. To Australia it is an exemplar of the way homegrown audiences and a very real way for Australians new to the world of contemporary art to engage with an innovative programme and challenge their thinking.

2006 Sydney Biennale

The Biennale exhibition extends well beyond the walls of museums and galleries, from beyond the city limits and in collaboration with art centres in outer Sydney suburbs.

I know that for this year’s event, the organisers have made a special effort to reinvent the Public Programs and Publications to increase community access and engagement.

This has been achieved through the dedication and commitment of a wonderful team of experts and enthusiasts headed up by Artistic Director and Curator Dr Charles Merewether.

With over 85 artists and collaborations from 57 cities in 44 countries, the 2006 Biennale of Sydney promises to be one of the most ambitious, daring and challenging Biennales to date.

Zones of Contact

This year’s exhibition entitled “Zones of Contact” examines the concept of space and how we encounter and interact with people and cultures.

The sense that arises from physical, psychological and cultural displacements and how it impacts on the land, environment and sense of belonging will all be explored.

When I first read the programme synopsis, the concept of Zones provoked a number of images for me – the historical zones and divisions in the Middle East, the image of Berlin as a city carved up into a colourful quadrant of zones and in recent months, the zones of the Sydney beaches and cultural territories or even the subjective, what for you and me are our respected comfort zones.

Therefore whatever your take on the subject matter – and it is very individual engagement – the Biennale provokes thought and invites introspection beyond the ‘ordinary’ and the mundane.

Biennale Origins

In 1973, the Sydney Biennale was borne out of the Transfield Art Prize for contemporary Australian art with a vision to promote international cultural exchange with a focus on Australia.

And looking at the list of participating countries as diverse as Brazil, Finland, Israel, Latvia, Philippines and Mexico – this remains a foundation principle for the Biennale of today.

Since inception, the Biennale has facilitated the importation and commission of major works of art many of which have remained in permanent collections in Australia’s pre-eminent collecting institutions.

In its brief history, the Biennale has quickly achieved critical acclaim and garnered international recognition which allows Australian artists to stand alongside their peers from around the world, bringing the best and the boldest contemporary visual arts exhibitions to Sydney.

Many artists have exhibited in the Biennale before embarking on major careers and invariably well ahead of inclusion in other programmes. Many of us will recall when Bill Henson exhibited at the 1982 Biennale, 13 years before representing Australia at the Venice Biennale and 22 years before his retrospective at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

Government Support

The importance of the Biennale has been recognised by the substantial support given by the Australia Council for the Arts, the Australian Government’s arts funding body, and the many corporate sponsors and benefactors.

To ensure the Biennale has the best possible support to go from strength to strength, the Australian Government has remained a principal supporter of the exhibition since its inception three decades ago.

This now continues through the Visual Arts and Crafts Strategy, a groundbreaking package of funding totalling $39 million over four years for contemporary arts and crafts.

I am very pleased to say, that as a result of this funding, the Australian indigenous artist Djambawa Marawili and a group of 10 performers are able to perform as part of the Biennale opening.

Conclusion

The Biennale of Sydney has been instrumental in helping to shape the changing attitudes of Australians towards art and culture.

As Giorgio de Chirico once said;

“To become truly immortal, a work of art must escape all human limits: logic and common sense will only interfere. But once these barriers are broken, it will enter the realms of childhood visions and dreams”.

This year’s Biennale, I believe is a perfect “Zone of Contact” for attracting new audiences as well as reinvigorating the more established ones, of demystifying international contemporary art without losing what makes it cutting edge.

The Biennale has created memorable exhibitions that have uniquely showcased antipodean artists with their international peers and the 2006 exhibition is no exception.

Be delighted, be provoked, be challenged and be engaged but above all, enjoy the Biennale of Sydney 2006.