Beechworth Biennale 2026 – An exciting weekend of art and culture and events

After being very impressed when attending the first Beechworth Biennale in 2024, Blair French, CEO Murray Art Museum Albury (MAMA) has supported the team developing this year’s event which takes place over the March long weekend. Dr French had just moved to the region to take on the CEO role when he visited the Biennale. “It was pretty exciting to see this degree of energy; from the artists, the organisers and the volunteers, concentrated in the one place,” he said. “And it’s part of my role, and also my interest, to be as widely involved in the arts as possible in the region. I am very interested in what happens for artists and communities or audiences when artists work in non-gallery spaces on sites where many people have different experiences of connection and belonging. Beechworth Biennale Creative Director Nina Machielse Hunt said she was delighted to have Dr French and Caroline Esbenshade, Curator Shepparton Art Museum on the selection panel who chose this year’s contributing artists. “The Biennale has grown from 16 sites to 20 sites this year. Thousands of people will be in town to engage with the art and ideas generated through sculptures, video, projections, soundscape and live performances. We have attracted incredible artists with both national and international acclaim, including 82 year-old Mike Parr. We are also pleased to have local, regional and emerging artists taking part alongside the art stars. One example is the case of three Beechworth artists who will this year present their own response to the town’s Powder Magazine site with a bespoke audio/visual installation and a live performance one evening. “Vestigial Liminal (Matthew McKenzie, Liam Cuffley and Richard Iskov) were inspired by the 2024 Biennale performance at the Old Beechworth Gaol, in the abandoned swimming pool. They documented Sydney based artist Tina Havelock-Steven’s creation and that involvement inspired them to put in a proposal this year for Gloaming. The Biennale starts with a Welcome Party on Friday 6 March. “We have managed to secure a performance by Mindy Meng Wang, Chinese/Australian composer and world leading contemporary Guzheng (Chinese Harp) player. It will be mesmerising. The Biennale received funding from the Australian government which Ms Machielse Hunt said was not only financially crucial for the success of the event but also significant in terms of recognising the value of art and culture in regional Australia. “It’s hard to quantify the number of artists, arts workers, schools, families and businesses who benefit from staging a professional event such as the Beechworth Biennale. Having sophisticated thought-provoking contemporary art and ideas generated within regional towns is impactful in many obvious but also discrete ways,” she said. “It is truly crucial for an engaged, informed and supported community to be exposed to and learn about the world around them. It is getting harder for schools and families to take students on excursions to see good contemporary art. An event such as this offers so much and most importantly it offers hope for our youth.” Visit the website www.beechworthbiennale.com.au for all details and to BOOK for tours and special events.