Lights On Opening Night - Biennale of Sydney

Lights On transforms White Bay Power Station into an immersive celebration of art, sound and connection as the 25th Biennale of Sydney opens its 2026 edition.

Step inside this remarkable industrial landmark and explore contemporary art curated by Hoor Al Qasimi, alongside a vivid lineup of performances that bring the site’s spaces to life in unforgettable ways.
Guided by the Biennale’s theme, Rememory, the evening invites you to move through moments shaped by music, history and atmosphere - each one responding to the character of White Bay Power Station itself.

Get ready for a diverse range of performances by world-leading First Nations experimental ensemble Hand to Earth (AUS), DJ Haram (USA), ghosted R&B vocalist Niecy Blues (USA) and more. Closing out the night, Afro-Brazillian collective INBRAZA BAILE will ignite the dancefloor with baile funk rhythms—a genre of dance music first incubated in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro before informing club cultures globally. For Lights On, INBRAZA are taking this music back into the hands of the Brazilian diaspora, demonstrating that this vital form of dance music is truly alive in Sydney

Lights On will also feature a limited presentation of one of the 25th Biennale’s flagship performance works, Joe Namy’s Automobile. This love letter to auto-culture sees Namy connect with local car modification enthusiasts, bringing together a host of cars with kitted-out sound systems for a public activation in which the cars are joined in a circle to create the PA for a celebration of sound, music and community.​‌

_{Image: Jordan Munns, Courtesy of Phoenix Central Park}