Panel discussion: Why biennials need critics

Hear from Susie Anderson (Blue), Sam Beard (Dispatch), Paris Lettau (Memo) and Robert Leonard (Town Hall) as they reflect on the vital role of criticism in developing artistic practices that are presented in biennials. Panelists will speak to how art journals foster discourse that shapes exhibition practice and reflect on how reviews influence exhibition histories.

Susie Anderson is Wergaia/Wemba Wemba writer of prose and poetry from regional Victoria. As Managing Editor of Blue Art Journal, she is excited to support the next generation of First Nations arts writing.

Sam Beard is the head editor and co-founder of Dispatch Review. His writing has appeared in Artlink, un Magazine, Art Collector and Memo Magazine.

Paris Lettau is Editor-in-Chief of Memo Magazine and an editor and writer for Memo Review and other publications.

Robert Leonard, editor, Town Hall, and Director, Institute of Modern Art, co-commissioner of Joel Sherwood Spring's presentation in 2026 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art: Yield Strength.