SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA.- The 15th Biennale of Sydney – Zones of Contact features 85 artists from 44 countries presenting the most innovative and bold art being made in the world today, on view through August 27. From Circular Quay to Campbelltown, Sydney is transformed with 75 of the international and Australian artists in town to celebrate the opening week. Witness a family become an artwork. Propose marriage to an artist. Hear a 1984 Ford Falcon Station Wagon make music. See Mona Hatoum’s mobile home ‘hung out to dry’.

Alfredo Juan Aquilizan & Maria Isabel Gaudinez-Aquilizan welcome you to follow the journey of their family as they farewell the Philippines and start a new life in Australia. At the Ivan Dougherty Gallery, marvel at the display of all their worldly possessions neatly packed in boxes and contemplate the logistics and emotions of uprooting a life and starting over in a new country.

Looking for love? Speed dating meets politics with JC Decaux’s bus shelter posters that offer a unique proposition to Sydneysiders. Iranian-born, Paris-based artist Ghazel provocatively offers herself in marriage in order to secure an entry visa. Wanted highlights the desperate situation many face in a seemingly borderless world.
Curious about how we appear to artists? Fiona Tan’s Vox-Populi, a collection of 100 photographs sourced from Sydney residents is a revealing mass portrait. On display at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Vox-Populi exposes both our similarities and differences.

Japanese artist Ujino Muneteru plays electrical appliances, drills, turntables, microphones and even a 1984 Ford Falcon Station Wagon to produce industrial beats.

Saadeh explores the oppressive forces impinging on the lives of Palestinian women today, while The Atlas Group investigates the use of car bombs during the 1975-1991 conflict in Lebanon (bookings essential: visit www.sydneyoperahouse.com).

Palestinian artist Mona Hatoum’s politically-charged 2005 exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art was a dinner party subject long after it closed. Hatoum’s new work, Mobile Home, revisits the tensions of house and home and features slow-moving objects that signify domestic life and travel.

Enhance your Biennale experience and fuel your passion by soaking up ideas and inspiration at our free events. Hear first-hand about individual works from their creators at Artist Talks; explore in depth the ideas of the Biennale at three Symposia; or attend the interstate program of Masterclasses which take the conversation beyond Sydney and out across Australia.

The Biennale of Sydney always provides an opportunity to see pioneering artworks and exciting artists from around the world. Known for its variety and breadth and its unpredictability, this exhibition is no exception. Zones of Contact takes us far off the well trodden path with artists from diverse places such as the Middle East, the Baltic and Balkan States, Pakistan, China and India. Zones of Contact provides you with an opportunity to explore other cultures and ways of life and travel the world without leaving Sydney. Come along and experience an extraordinary feast of artistic endeavours.

Charles Merewether, Artistic Director & Curator of the 2006 Biennale of Sydney says, “I’ve created a map of the world in terms of artists: links are made, common threads appear and commonalties between people are discovered. I wanted a broad range of artists to show people there is incredible work going on in these countries we know little about. I want people to be moved. I want it to be a celebration where people enjoy the work, learn from it and get excited by it.”

“Charles Merewether has brought together an astonishing range of artists whose works evoke a poignancy rarely encountered in art exhibitions”, says Luca Belgiorno-Nettis, Chairman of the Biennale of Sydney. “It is only with the generous support of our public and private sector partners, both in Australia and overseas, that an event of this magnitude is possible. We look forward to the public being as captivated and inspired as we are by this remarkable exhibition.”