AURORA, the Dallas public art organization that began in 2010 with a one-night light, video and sound show, will stretch its 2026 Biennial across nearly three weeks, Nov. 4 through 21, ending with a free outdoor exhibition at Dallas City Hall, the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library and the AT&T Discovery District on Saturday, Nov. 21.
It is the seventh edition of the Biennial and the first to run longer than a single event, according to the organization. Curators Julia Kaganskiy and Tairone Bastien titled it "States of Becoming," a theme the organization says responds to the climate crisis, the rise of artificial intelligence and what it calls the erosion of democratic norms.
City Hall at the center
The organization's theme statement names City Hall as the main footprint of the show and notes that the building is at risk of demolition. NBC 5 reported that the theme was chosen with the debate over the building's future in mind.
"Most people never stand on the front steps of Dallas City Hall as the sun sets and the city begins to light up for the night," executive director and co-founder Joshua King told NBC 5. He said the idea is to change how a well-known public building feels, for a short time, and draw large crowds to spend time there together.
One planned piece is Trevor Paglen's "Faces of ImageNet," which Kaganskiy said will be projected onto the City Hall facade. She said Paglen has spent more than a decade studying how machines learn to "see."
The artists
The first group of artists announced includes Dallas-based Melanie Clemmons and Zak Loyd, Diana Rojas, Eric Trich and Tramaine Townsend, along with Monira Al Qadiri, Eduardo Cassina, Josh Kline, Ksawery Komputery, Ezra Masch, LaJuné McMillian, Christopher Meerdo, New Red Order, Sasha Stiles, Derek Tumala, Holly Veselka and Saya Woolfalk, NBC 5 reported.
