The atmosphere of the 25th Sydney Biennale has already started to spread. Didn’t expect that this year’s first stop is actually right next to the most classic sandstone buildings on the University of Sydney campus. We recommend treating this as your first stop, or if you only want to choose one location to experience this year’s Biennale, also recommend here first.
This time I first went to Chau Chak Wing Museum. The most impressive piece for me was the heart. I stood in front of it for a long time. At first I was looking at it from an anatomical perspective, thinking how realistic it was, but after all it is an artwork. The shadow reflected on the ground even looks like a blooming rose. Then I was drawn to the soft fabric, the fine stitching and the bead details, which not only give it a delicate appearance, but also make each heart so beautiful and unique. It really made me think deeper about the meaning behind the heart.
It acknowledges the complexity of history, and also amplifies those voices that were once ignored or excluded. Just like previous years, it incorporates Indigenous culture, and also blends very powerful artworks together. After checking in the big Biennale work upstairs hearts of absent women, you must must go down to B2 to see the new exhibition!
The exhibition explores several core questions through sculpture, installations and narrative texts: the relationship between humans and animals, the cycle of life and death, how museums preserve time, and how we understand the world through stories.
The artist sees the museum as a container of time, life is preserved as specimens, relics or records, and the artist’s carving skills are really strong.
The artist creates fully hand-carved animal sculptures, with extremely realistic details. Many works look like museum specimens, but also carry a bit of mystery. The unreal proportions make the details on the animals stand out even more. Even though it’s just an enlarged ordinary cat, I still didn’t dare to look too closely! Coincidentally, this exhibition space is right next to the real specimen gallery. The curation is very thoughtful.
The artist tries to bring out the relationship between humans, animals, life and death through these works.
Chau Chak Wing Museum has more things to see. Biennale section, the museum also has ancient Egyptian artefacts and mummies, various animal specimens, and abstract works by different artists. It’s quite interesting and also a bit thought-provoking.
Chau Chak Wing Museum
Address – Chau Chak Wing Museum University Place Camperdown NSW 2050
Time
2026.2.7 – 2026.7.26
Opening hours
Weekdays 10:00–17:00
Weekends 12:00–16:00
Ticket free
Overall, it feels quite worth visiting. And after visiting the museum, you can also walk around the University of Sydney campus, the buildings are really beautiful.