Citra Sasmita, Timur Merah Project X: Bedtime Story, 2023, acrylic on traditional Kamasan canvas, oak dowels, Dimensions variable. Image courtesy David Young.
Organised by Artistic Directors Cosmin Costinaș and Inti Guerrero, the 24th Biennale of Sydney returns to Australia's east coast, featuring 96 artists and collectives from 50 countries.
Running from 9 March to 10 June, Ten Thousand Suns confronts Western apocalyptic depictions, focusing on themes celebrating First Nations, queer resilience, and the rejection of a bleak future for a joy-filled one.
Held at multiple locations, including the historic reopening of White Bay Power Station after more than a century, Art Gallery of New South Wales, and Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, the event promises three months abuzz with creation and curation.
Citra Sasmita at Chau Chak Wing Museum, University of Sydney Balinese artist Citra Sasmita's Kamasan-style paintings feature female characters inspired by Hinduism, Indonesian history, and her imagination.
These women manifest in different forms—emerging from branches, with flames erupting from their bellies, or giant snakes coiling around their waist. Sasmita places them at the core of her narrative, displacing men and introducing depictions of women engaged in stories of conflict, creation, and empowerment.
Samita extends her 'Timur Merah Project' (2019–ongoing) to the Biennale. Describing it as 'the embodiment of my resistance to Balinese cultural heritage that is heavily influenced by colonialism.'
