Big Power Talks #4

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 fourth and final 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 Dylan He, Noah Farrugia and Sage Belgum 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

Dylan He
Qinchao He (Dylan) is a second-year undergraduate students majoring in Art History and Digital Cultures. With the combination of art and media studies, he is trying to persue a career in the GLAM sector.

Noah Farrugia
Noah Farrugia is a third year Art History and Archaeology student planning to pursue a Master’s program to further explore material culture and the connections between people and places.

Sage Belgum
Sage Belgum recently completed an undergraduate degree in Art History and International Relations at the University of Sydney and will commence Honours in Art History in 2026. Her research interests span photography, gender studies, and political aesthetics. She is currently gaining experience in both the gallery and editorial sectors.