Expansive Himalayan landscapes poetically expressed through the tectonic formations of the Ladakh range embedded within the Indus Valley — a meandering river so deep, so blue that you can witness the scintillating night sky in its refracted waters.
An unexpected visit by His Holiness to the capital.
Intercontinental collaborations centering the dark sky as a shared inquiry formed the nature of this expedition. Shared Skies is a project by the Fremantle Biennale, Sā Biennale and the Ladakh Arts and Media organisation supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Steam Works (2023)
Brisbane Powerhouse
Capturing a moment in time through an immersive place specific installation, Steam Works transports audiences back in time to when this landmark site was once New Farm Power Station, powering Brisbane’s largest tram network.
A site-resonant and experiential installation by Swiss-Australian artist Tom Mùller conceived in response to the historical significance of the site. Consisting of four large industrial fog generators, the work is activated twice a day for a duration of 2 minutes enveloping the main entrance in thick voluminous steam. These towering vapour pillars evoke a bygone time where the main structure of the original complex, the boiler house once stood. Now buried beneath this site, the boiler room consisted of ten large boilers, fueled by coal shipped by river and rail and drawing cooling water from the river to generate steam.
sā Ladakh Biennale 2026 welcomes Tom Mùller as a participating artist, in partnership with the Embassy of Switzerland in India and Bhutan under the initiative Sustainability With a Plus.
Working across site-responsive, temporal, and permanent forms, Tom Mùller’s multidisciplinary practice unfolds at the intersection of architecture, memory of place, and atmospheric sculpture. His work navigates the subtle tensions between structure and sensation, engaging spatial and material conditions to reveal how environments are felt as much as they are built. Informed by an ongoing inquiry into new world orders, space, environment, and time, his approach remains deeply attentive to the particularities of place and to fleeting, momentary conditions that carry resonance.
His work has been presented internationally across major exhibitions and institutions. Alongside his artistic practice, he is the co-founder and Artistic Director of the Fremantle Biennale, Chair of Culture Club, and co-curator of Rare Silk.
In resonance with sā Ladakh Biennale’s curatorial theme, ‘Signals from Another Star’, Tom Mùller’s work in Ladakh consists of a large atmospheric durational sculpture enveloping the Basgo Gompa. The work invites contemplation, considering the monastery as an immaterial object, a temporary apparition manifesting in the clouds, untethered from its earthly realm.
Photo Credits: Jala Adolphus
#sabiennale #signalsfromanotherstar #ladakh #regenerativeart #switzerland
First lights - Shared Skies, is a first of its kind intercontinental collaboration and exchange centring the Dark Sky Reserves of India and Australia as a shared thematic between artists, curators, arts organisations and tech startups from both continents.
Shared Skies is a long-term India–Australia collaboration that brings ancient knowledge into dialogue with contemporary art, connecting continents through the shared expanse of the night sky, as explored by First Nations artists Jigmet Angmo and Kirli Saunders.
Directed by Luna Laure
Executive Producers: Tom Mùller & Raki Nikahetiya
Directors of Photography: Sumit Sharma & Liam Brennan
Cultural Advisor: Monisha Ahmed
Watch the full documentary via the link in our bio.
#SharedSkies #FremantleBiennale #saBiennale #India #Australia
I am exactly where I need to be — floating in the mineral rich waters of beloved Therme of Vals on a revive and restore retreat. Surrounded by the snow capped alps and by the source of the St Peter natural spring. It’s good to be home.
Join us tonight for an iconic artwork conceived by sound artist Ben Frost and installation artist Tom Mùller. Whalefall finale at the Port Beach Shed (corner of Tydeman Road and Port Beach Road).
Session schedule:
20:00-20:20
20:40-21:00
21:20-21:40
22:00-22:20
22:40-23:00
Free event that doesn’t require booking.
See you tonight.
#fremantlebiennale
For two nights only, Ben Frost and Tom Mùller transform the skeletal frame of Port Beach Shed into an ethereal sanctuary of sound and light. Inspired by the rare sighting of a lone sperm whale off Rockingham, Whalefall reverberates with sonic echoes and spectral illuminations—a haunting requiem for the giants of the deep.
WHALEFALL BY BEN FROST AND TOM MÙLLER
Thurs 27 & Fri 28 Nov
8-11pm (20-min sessions at scheduled times)
Port Beach Shed
FREE
Visit the Fremantle Biennale website for more info.
Images courtesy of @duncanwright__
#FremantleBiennale
fremantlebiennale.com.au
We’re thrilled to share our recent editorial, written for @fremantlebiennale featuring its co-founder and Artistic Director @tom___muller , a visionary shaping one of Australia’s most important cultural events.
In our conversation with Mùller, he reflects on the poetics and politics of sanctuary. This piece goes beyond the Biennale - it opens a window into future-making.
Read the full editorial in the News page at fremantlebiennale.com.au
Skripture is in the business of intelligent brand storytelling.
Engage, reflect and share your thoughts below.
Written by @prinitha | Creative Director at @skripture.au
#FremantleBiennale #skriptureau #art #fremantle #artfestival
Stories That Shape the Biennale 🌊
We’ve opened a new chapter, a storytelling platform that invites you to wander through the ideas, themes, and voices behind Fremantle Biennale.
In our latest article, Art as Sanctuary, we reflect on art as a refuge, a space for contemplation and connection, and its deep ties to the City of Fremantle.
@tom___muller , co-founder and Artistic Director of the Fremantle Biennale opens up about the creative and philosophical forces behind the Biennale and SANCTUARY 25 - what sanctuary means in Walyalup, Fremantle, how art shapes belonging and the role of care and transformation in his practice.
This piece explores not just the art, but the vision: a future of gathering, listening, and reimagining public and private spaces.
Explore the full narrative via the news link in bio.
Written by @prinitha in collaboration with @skripture.au
Image courtesy of @adamkennaphoto
#FremantleBiennale
