Kalisolaite ‘Uhila’s performance practice engages with endurance, silence, and social critique, and he creates durational works, which are informed by his Tongan heritage and explore ideas of tradition, masculinity, and cultural bias.
In Kelekele Mo’ui (Living Soil), ‘Uhila explores the relationship between land, labour, and life, drawing on the Tongan words kelekele (soil, earth, ground) and mo’ui (life, living). The day-long performance work involves ‘Uhila sitting still while buried up to his neck in a pile of soil. The work contrasts moments of intense physical exertion with the stillness of maumau-taimi—a concept translated as “wasting time”—to question the value systems shaping our understanding of productivity, gender, and the body. Through sustained engagement with the elemental qualities of soil—its texture, weight, and scent—‘Uhila affirms the ground as both a site of sustenance and a register of lived experience.
Presented by Michael Lett and UNSW Galleries
Visitors to Sydney Contemporary will be able to view the work evolve throughout the day and are particularly encouraged to attend at 5pm for ‘Uhila’s removal from the soil. This performance is weather dependent.
Christian Thompson AO’s music is a haunting synthesis of Bidjara heritage and classical tradition—an intimate sound world shaped by ancestral memory and operatic depth. Drawing on his Aboriginal Australian heritage and European classical training, his compositions weave traditional rhythms, pop sensibilities, and layered vocals into lush sonic tapestries that explore identity, language, and cultural hybridity.
In Recital, Thompson is joined by composer Adam Rudegeair and presents a live performance and sound work that builds on over 25 years of engagement with recorded sound and the revival of his family’s endangered Bidjara language. Recital enacts a powerful reclamation through vocalisation. Each utterance is a deliberate act of revival and re-energising. His performances—guided by restrained musical and visual gestures—offer a truly immersive experience, transforming contemporary art spaces into living sites for the resurgence of language.
Location: Carriageworks
Christian Thompson AO’s music is a haunting synthesis of Bidjara heritage and classical tradition—an intimate sound world shaped by ancestral memory and operatic depth. Drawing on his Aboriginal Australian heritage and European classical training, his compositions weave traditional rhythms, pop sensibilities, and layered vocals into lush sonic tapestries that explore identity, language, and cultural hybridity.
In Recital, Thompson is joined by composer Adam Rudegeair and presents a live performance and sound work that builds on over 25 years of engagement with recorded sound and the revival of his family’s endangered Bidjara language. Recital enacts a powerful reclamation through vocalisation. Each utterance is a deliberate act of revival and re-energising. His performances—guided by restrained musical and visual gestures—offer a truly immersive experience, transforming contemporary art spaces into living sites for the resurgence of language.
Location: Talks Space, Carriageworks
Presented by Michael Reid Sydney + Berlin
Experience the raw, physical energy of Jody Graham in this compelling live art demonstration and Q&A. Known for her visceral mark-making, Graham will create a work using her signature repurposed gloves—transforming the act of drawing into a performative, almost choreographic exchange between body, tool and surface. Working with unconventional materials, her process blurs control and chaos. This rare, up-close insight into her practice reveals drawing as more than image-making: it is a way of thinking through movement and material. Graham will discuss her relationship with mark-making, spontaneity, and her philosophy of drawing with the world, not just on it.
Hosted by Nanda\Hobbs
Location: Art Café, Carriageworks
The Weight We Float Above is an immersive auditory drawing performance featuring opera singers Shikara Ringdahl (2025/2026 Young Artist, Opera Australia) and Louise Keast (soprano, Opera Australia Chorus), in collaboration with visual artist Hannah Quinlivan. Through voice and movement, the performers respond to Quinlivan’s sculptural forms, evoking the tension between surface and depth, presence and absence. Each of the singers outfits and artworks are uniquely made for this presentation.
Hosted by Curatorial+Co.
Location: Booth J15 – Curatorial+Co., Carriageworks.
