A new contemporary and vibrant festival is set to light up Sydney’s inner-city precinct this October, created to celebrate the art and lives of Asian Australians.
Art in the Heart of Haymarket will see Haymarket come alive with art installations, performances, visual art, music and more by Asian Australian artists.
From a Queer Tour of the area where you’ll reimagine it through a rainbow lens to a street dance battle, Filipino street-food speed dating and music ranging from sweaty night club vibes to chillout trippy beats, Art in the Heart of Haymarket will be unlike any festival we’ve seen before – trust us.
The festival is presented by 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, a prominent institution in Haymarket bringing together Australian Asian artists and the community for over 25 years.
Below, we’ve rounded up everything to see and do at Art in the Heart of Haymarket! Find out more information here.
Photograph: 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art/Image credit: Anna Hay
Art installations and performances
Art in the Heart of Haymarket is set to be a lot of fun. See contemporary art installations and performances throughout the month and deep-dive into the culture and lives of Asian Australian artists. Highlights include live art window installations by performance artist Rakini Devi; Filipino street food speed dating with Rosell Flately; music by Shoeb Ahmed; and live performances and food presentations by Shahmen Suku.
Photograph: Destructive Steps Dance Association/Image credit: JNY photography
4A x DSDA Dance Battle: 2v2 Open Styles
See all the moves, grooves and live action as 4A hosts its first-ever street dance battle with Destructive Steps Dance Association. Designed to showcase emerging dancers and their craft, in particular the vibrant street dance communities of Dancer’s Lane near Haymarket, 4A x DSDA Dance Battle: 2v2 Open Styles will feature breakdancing, popping and other street styles. Come on down to the Darling Harbour Pier Street Underpass on Friday October 14 from 5pm to 9pm and watch as the talented street dancers battle it out in a two versus two open competition. The winners will be (metaphorically) crowned and will take home some prize money! All ages are welcome to come along, and Dance Battles is free for spectators. Who knows, you may pick up a dance move or two?
Photograph: Rakini Devi, Urban Kali, Image credit: Karl Ockelford
4A/24
Art in the Heart of Haymarket will finish with a bang with a free 24-hour art program! Taking place from 11am on Saturday October 29 to 6pm on Sunday October 30, 4A/24 will host over 50 creatives across two locations, 4A and nextdoor neighbour, the Museum of Chinese in Australia (also outside on the street!). Expect to find old library rooms animated with intimate performances, installations, tarot card and I Ching readings, street food speed dates and more. Saturday will feature performances by underground music collectives, Kerfew and Freedom Sessions, as well as dance performances by Destructive Steps Street and famed Indian classical dancer Anandavalli on film and in person. Sunday will host yoga and meditation classes, and be entertained by artists as you savour yum cha with dumplings from Zilver Restaurant. Be sure to see the moving solo theatre piece by Pratha Nagpal called My Mother’s Kitchen which unpacks the intergenerational lived experiences of immigrant mothers and their children, running on both days. Plus, film screenings and music from Marcus Whale, Morgana Osaki and Rainbow Chan.
Photograph: Shoeb Amhed/Image credit: Phoenix Central Park
Bollywouldn’t Opening Weekend
To celebrate and coincide with the opening of the Bollywouldn't exhibition by critically acclaimed Goan-Australian artist TextaQueen, 4A will be hosting a jam-packed weekend full of music and performances on the weekend of October 22-23. Including LGBTQIA+ and South Asian performances, as well as music, poetry, installations, workshops and delicious food, Bollywouldn’t Opening Weekend is the cumulation of pride in culture, identity and history, as well as a beautiful display of art. Vessel DJ Collective, Priyanka Bromhead, Party Office, Vishnu Arunasalam, Shahmen Suku, Shoeb Ahmed, Bindi Bosses and more will be there. The two-day festivities are free, and will be taking place at 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art.
Photograph: MaggZ/Image credit: Skye Sobejko
Queer Tour of Haymarket
Paint the town rainbow with a Queer Tour of Haymarket. Embark on a one-hour tour to reimagine the precinct’s architecture, history and social life through queer performance activations and music. The Queer Tour of Harmarket has been designed to celebrate and honour queer Asian Australian communities who in the past have been subject to discrimination. Taking place on Saturday October 29, with a handful of times available, Queer Tour of Haymarket costs $25 per adult and includes a complimentary drink at the last stop of the tour, Bancho Bar. See dance performances, live art and poetry during the tour, of which builds upon the legacy of queer Asian activists in Sydney and Australia who have sought to claim much deserved space within Mardi Gras, queer spaces and grassroot organisations. As there is limited capacity for the tour, bookings are essential. Meet at 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art 15 minutes before your start time, and wear comfy shoes!
