MEDIA RELEASE
17 to 20 September 2026 | Kandos, NSW, on Wiradjuri Country
Kandos will once again become a meeting place for artists, locals and visitors when Cementa26
Contemporary Arts Festival returns from Thursday 17 to Sunday 20 September 2026.
Across four days, contemporary art, performance, sound, workshops and unexpected
encounters will appear throughout Kandos, transforming familiar streets, buildings and
community spaces into places for conversation and discovery.
Cementa26 is curated by Sebastian Henry-Jones and will bring together more than 30 artists
and projects from across the country, alongside work developed through relationships with
Kandos, the surrounding region, Wiradjuri Country and local communities.
Henry-Jones said the festival has been shaped by a desire to pay close attention to the culture,
stories and creativity already present in the area.
“I wish for Cementa26 to be revealing of what’s already there, whether it be local forms of
culture, creativity, histories or stories, Wiradjuri culture and Country,” Henry-Jones said.
“In this way, art isn’t the focus of attention but something that helps us see the value of what’s in
front of us.”
Festival works will be presented across Kandos rather than within a single gallery, allowing
audiences to experience art while moving through the town.
Cementa Creative Director and co-founder Alex Wisser said the festival’s relationship with
Kandos is what gives Cementa its identity.
“Cementa isn’t a festival that simply arrives in Kandos every two years. It has grown here
through ongoing relationships between artists, residents, local organisations, businesses and
the wider community,” Wisser said.
“The festival is shaped by this town, its history, its people and its character. It creates an
opportunity for Kandos to welcome visitors, celebrate local creativity and see familiar places
from a different perspective.”
Audiences can expect a kayak orchestra performed within the surrounding landscape,
large-scale experimental puppetry, artist-led publishing projects, live performance and works
exploring the rituals, competitions and creative traditions of regional towns.
Wiradjuri Yinaa, Jo Clancy and Renee Ford will present Dyagula Waybarra, while Wiradjuri-led
cultural practice will remain an important part of the festival through the continued development
of the Wiradjuri Mural.
Many projects have been developed over an extended period through visits, residencies,
conversations and collaborations in Kandos and the surrounding region.
Wisser said these relationships are an important part of how Cementa works.
“Artists come to Kandos ready to listen and respond to what is here,” he said.
“The works that emerge are connected to particular people, places and stories. They could not
simply be picked up and presented in another town.”
The festival will also bring increased activity into Kandos, with visitors expected to stay locally,
eat in local venues, visit shops and businesses, and spend time throughout the wider region.
For residents, Cementa26 will offer four days of mostly free and accessible opportunities to
experience contemporary art close to home.
Much of the festival program will be free, with activities suitable for people who are deeply
familiar with contemporary art and those encountering it for the first time.
Locals are encouraged to come along, bring friends and family, join a workshop, attend a
performance or simply walk through town and see what they find.
The full Cementa26 program, daily schedule and visitor information will be released ahead of
the festival.
Cementa26 Contemporary Arts Festival
Thursday 17 to Sunday 20 September 2026
Kandos, NSW, on Wiradjuri Country
cementa.com.au
image: DISTURBED by The Kandos School of Cultural Adaptation at Cementa24. Photo by
Gemma Swain.