The 25th Biennale of Sydney, titled "Rememory" and curated by Emirati curator Hoor al-Qasimi, opened in March 2026 across multiple venues including White Bay Power Station, Penrith Regional Gallery, Campbelltown Arts Centre, Art Gallery of New South Wales, and Chau Chak Wing Museum. The event faced political scrutiny before its opening, with Zionist and conservative lobby groups petitioning against al-Qasimi's appointment, accusing her of anti-Israel bias. Controversy escalated after DJ Haram's opening night tirade denouncing a "Zio-Australian-Epstein empire," prompting the Biennale to issue an institutional statement distancing itself from her remarks. The exhibition runs from 14 March to 14 June 2026.
This controversy matters because it reflects a broader pattern in Australia and elsewhere where cultural events are increasingly targeted by political lobbying, often aimed at Palestinian, Lebanese, or First Nations participants. The article argues that the arts are now produced, funded, and discussed within a charged political context where works are prematurely labeled as "political" either as a derogatory attack or as a desirable marker of radicality. The Biennale's curatorial framework, inspired by Toni Morrison's neologism "rememory" from her novel *Beloved*, seeks to revisit and reclaim erased or repressed histories, making the political tensions surrounding the event particularly resonant with its theme.