The Strong Presence of Guatemalan Indigenous Artists at the Sydney Biennale

The 25th Sydney Biennale, titled "Rememory" and curated by Hoor Al Qasimi, centers on colonialism and historical reparation, featuring a strong presence of Indigenous and First Nations artists. Notably, five Maya artists from Guatemala—Sandra Monterroso, Angélica Serech, Ángel Poyón, Fernando Poyón, and Edgar Calel—are participating, exploring ancestral knowledge, community practices, and tensions between Indigenous cosmologies and modernity. Their work engages with Australian debates on Indigenous sovereignty and colonial repair, challenging historical institutional representation.

This edition matters because it positions contemporary Indigenous artists not as peripheral or symbolic figures but as central agents in producing new forms of knowledge and cultural expression. As the first Arab curator of the Sydney Biennale, Al Qasimi brings a non-extractive, historically attuned approach, drawing on affinities between different colonial contexts. The exhibition's conceptual core—inspired by Toni Morrison's concept of "rememory"—actively reconstructs fragmented histories, emphasizing oral traditions, community pedagogies, and collaborative actions over hierarchical cultural transmission. This reflects a broader institutional shift in Australia toward reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, including land acknowledgments and efforts to address colonial violence in archives and collections.