From carcasses to ‘westie car culture’: scenes from the 2022 Adelaide biennial

Abdul-Rahman Abdullah has created a series of graphically realistic animal carcasses made from silicone for In the Name. Photograph: Saul Steed/AGSA

The Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art, Australia’s longest running survey of contemporary art, has opened for 2022 – but under a shroud of sadness.

The recent deaths of one of the exhibition’s key artists, Hossein Valamanesh, and the biennial’s principal sponsor, Neil Balnaves, have permeated the atmosphere: both men died suddenly in the lead-up to the 37th Adelaide festival, Valamanesh in January and Balnaves in mid-February.