Dr Mikala Tai to Curate TarraWarra Biennial 2027

TarraWarra Biennial 2027 | 10th Edition
31 July – 14 November 2027

TarraWarra Museum of Art announces the appointment of Dr Mikala Tai as Curator of the TarraWarra Biennial 2027, the tenth edition of the Museum’s contemporary art exhibition program. Tai’s appointment brings a practice shaped by sustained engagement with Australian and Asian contemporary art and a curatorial focus on cultural identity, place and shared futures.

Tai has been a defining presence in the Australian contemporary art sector for nearly two decades. Most recently, as Head of Visual Arts at Creative Australia, she served as Project Director for Archie Moore’s kith and kin, which received the Golden Lion at the 2024 Venice Biennale, the first Australian work to be awarded the prize. She has also worked on Khaled Sabsabi’s Venice projects for 2026 and advised Paris-based arts foundation Kadist.

Before Creative Australia, Tai was Director of 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art in Sydney. She has previously held roles at the National Gallery of Victoria and Para Site in Hong Kong. In 2016, she completed her PhD at the University of New South Wales, examining how Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong generated distinct contemporary art infrastructures in response to political and urban conditions.

Tai is a regular contributor to Art Review and Artist Profile and has taught and lectured in Art History and Theory programs at Monash University, RMIT, and the universities of Sydney and Melbourne. Her curatorial practice is driven by a commitment to building shared cultural literacy through contemporary art.

Dr Mikala Tai says:

“I spent my early childhood in the hills encircling TarraWarra… To return in 2027 is deeply meaningful. I feel a responsibility to this place… and I hope to anchor the TarraWarra Biennial with this sense of origin, connection, and return.

The TarraWarra Biennial has long been an exceptional exhibition… and I feel honoured to be collaborating with artists to present the next edition.”

Dr Victoria Lynn, Director of TarraWarra Museum of Art, says:

“TarraWarra Museum of Art is delighted to announce that Dr Mikala Tai has accepted the invitation to curate the 10th edition of the TarraWarra Biennial in 2027. Dr Tai brings extensive expertise in contemporary Australian art… Her thoughtful and open curatorial approach… will ensure the development of a considered and original Biennial.”

ABOUT THE TARRAWARRA BIENNIAL

Inaugurated in 2006, the TarraWarra Biennial has presented the work of over 200 artists across nine editions, establishing itself as a distinctive platform for contemporary art. Each edition is conceived as an independent exhibition led by a guest curator.

Recent editions include Slow Moving Waters (2021), ua usiusi faʻavaʻasavili (2023), and We Are Eagles (2025).

The TarraWarra Biennial 2027 opens on 31 July 2027 and runs until 14 November 2027. The title, participating artists and full program will be announced in early 2027.

ABOUT TARRAWARRA MUSEUM OF ART

TarraWarra Museum of Art is a not-for-profit public museum presenting exhibitions and programs on twentieth- and twenty-first-century Australian art. Its collection spans from the 1930s to today.

Located in the Yarra Valley on Wurrundjeri Country, the Museum fosters engagement with art, place and ideas. Its newest addition, the Eva and Marc Besen Centre (opened May 2025), includes Visible Art Storage, a learning centre and performance space, and has received major national architecture awards.