From the moment you set foot in the Art Gallery of New South Wales' outpost of this year's spectacular Australian art biennial The National, you'll be greeted by the colourful, towering ceramic sculptures of Nabilah Nordin, whose raucous textures contrast the building's classical architecture. (Note: this exhibtion is showing in AGNSW's original South Building, not the flash new Sydney Modern expansion next door.)
Curated by Beatrice Gralton, the work of 14 artists is on show here until July 23. Other highlights include Heather B. Swann’s sculptural explorations, which beautifully upend the tragic roots of an ancient myth; Abdul Abdullah’s playful side is on show with his personified nature scenes; and at the base of the escalators, Gerry Wedd’s large-scale installation puts a modern twist on traditional blue and white ceramics (bonus points for the ceramic bong and the hidden skulls).
First Nations artists are also well represented at this leg of The National. We're particularly enamoured with a collection of paintings by Arrernte/Kalkadoon woman Thea Anamara Perkins – with a delicate hand, her portaits and landscapes portray a vision of what it means to be Indigenous in contemporary Australia. Kamilaroi/Gamilaroi artist Reko Rennie's latest video work What Do We Want? (2022) refuses to be ignored – starring rapper and actor Adam Briggs as a "sensei master" to an imaginary, martial arts inspired First Nations resistance movement.