Stéphane Alexis, Joel Becker, Lindsey Carter, Amy Esplen, Shirin Fahimi, Behnaz Fatemi, Kandis Friesen, Mélika Hashemi and Nasim Asgari, Kablusiak, Abedar Kamgari, Tee Kundu, Isabel M. Martínez, Alisa McRonald, Sara Mozafari, The Observatory (Lucy Bilson, Nicole Beno), Lauren Prousky, Brenda Mabel Reid, Finnegan Shannon, Esther Slevinsky, Jessica Thompson, Tract Collective, Lan “Florence” Yee, Shellie Zhang, Zest Artist Collective (ZAC).

Continuing conversations from the 2021 biennial with artists and collaborators in the public sphere, 2023’s theme is guided by Stay with me… A declarative, yet vulnerable and tender invitation that beckons us to pause, reflect and come together – not only around the discourses, ruptures and speculative possibilities in the artworks presented – but also with each other. Recent events have brought into sharp relief the uncertainty and tenuous nature of our shared existence – social vulnerabilities, divisions, and yearning for belonging. How might we honour traditions, disruptions, differences, while collectively forging ahead? Stay with me… cultivates reciprocity for the individual and collective – offering public platforms, with and without words, while advocating for acts of care, accountability and learning/ unlearning in community with one another.