Big Power Talks #2

Wednesday, 24 September 2025
12:30PM - 1:30PM (AEST)
Chau Chak Wing Museum, University of Sydney
This event has ended.
A man looks at an abstract artwork

Big Power Talks is a series of student talks about important modernist and postmodernist works from the J.W. Power and Power Collection.

Ronald Davis, Cube 1, 1971 (installation view), Chau Chak Wing Museum, 2025. Photo by David James

The second set of Big Power Talks will focus on "Big Power Energy", an exhibition curated by Katrina Liberiou that showcases the University's prestigious Power Collection. For this exhibition, 14 contemporary Australian artists were asked to choose a work from the collection, resulting in a diverse display by historically significant and living artists from across the globe.

Presentations by Leighlyn Aguilar, Taleah Rust and Valesca de Jongh will help you to better see this diverse array of works, providing insights about the contemporary artists invited to delve into the collection, and the works they have chosen. 

 

About the Exhibition

The Power Collection is a group of artworks that was purchased by the University of Sydney between 1967 and 1989, using funds granted by the artist and philanthropist J.W. Power. 

Since its founding in 1967, the Power Collection has been inspirational for generations of Australasian artists. For this exhibition, the Chau Chak Wing Museum invited 14 artists to each select a work from the Power Collection and to reflect on their choice. 

This exhibition takes inspiration from the visionary bequest of J.W. Power, by focusing on works that are either physically monumental or conceptually bold. Many of the works have not been displayed for more than 30 years, and some are returning favourites.

The selecting artists are Serwah Attafuah, Christopher Bassi, Richard Bell, Megan Cope, Léuli Eshrāgi, Narelle Jubelin, Shivanjani Lal, Lindy Lee, Archie Moore, Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran, Leyla Stevens, Angela Tiatia, Imants Tillers, and Ben Quilty. 

Big Power Talks are presented by the Power Institute and the Chau Chak Wing Museum at the University of Sydney.

 

More about the exhibition "Big Power Energy"

People

A photograph of Leighlyn Aguilar
Leighlyn Aguilar

Leighlyn Aguilar recently completed a Bachelor of Arts and Advanced studies at the University of Sydney, studying art history and ancient history. She received a university medal for her honours thesis, which was centred on Palestinian embroidery.

A photograph of Taleah Rust
Taleah Rust

Taleah Rust is a third year Art History and Ancient History student. She is interested in undertaking an honours year exploring cross-cultural exchange within art and in the future wishes to work within collection management and education programs in the GLAM sector. 

A photograph of Valesca de Jongh
Valesca de Jongh

Valesca de Jongh is a second year Art History student and Dalyell Scholar at the University of Sydney. Returning from internships in Europe, she is looking to further broaden her horizons within the Arts. She is currently taking a semester off university to participate in creative projects and explore her interests in art fairs, auctions and philanthropy.

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