In 2026, the Canberra Art Biennial Annual Appeal will raise much needed funds for a new commission by artist Mia Khin Boe.
Mia Khin Boe’s artistic practice focuses on cultural inheritances and disinheritances. Of Butchulla and Burmese descent, her art offers a response to the historical and ongoing colonial violence inflicted upon the lands and peoples of these cultures.
Born on Yuggera/Turrbal Country, Brisbane, and now living on the lands of the Kulin Nation in Melbourne, Boe is concerned with uncovering ignored, forgotten, and denied realities, moving between social realism and speculative fiction to imagine futures lost.
For the 2026 Canberra Art Biennial, Boe will present a major new commission titled The Aboriginal Robot. Building on Boe’s 2024 exhibition of the same name at Roslyn Oxley Gallery, The Aboriginal Robot extends Boe’s painting practice into a new medium, realising Boe’s ambition to present a work in glass for the first time.
The Aboriginal Robot (2024)
In this new installation of painting and glass, Boe continues her science fiction narrative of a dystopian future in which the Australian landscape is ravaged by years of human extraction. The government creates an AI Robot—the Dreaming Machine—equipped with the wisdom of Aboriginal land management. As the Robot learns of the history of those who exploited and profited from the land, it sparks a revolutionary upheaval.
During a visit to the Canberra Glassworks, Boe met with artists working with borosilicate glass, which is used to produce scientific instruments due to its high stability and excellent transparency. The scientific association of this material extends the themes in Boe’s practice, offering a new lens through which to experience Boe’s dystopian world.
The Message (2024)
Donate to the 2026 Annual Appeal
The 2026 Canberra Art Biennial will present the work of over 50 artists and curators across more than 20 venues across Canberra, from 11 September to 31 October. In addition to vital support from Creative Australia and artsACT to cover the cost of salaries and operations, we rely on the generosity of our donor community to make the festival possible.
Your donation to the 2026 Canberra Art Biennial Annual Appeal will make this exciting new commission possible, providing vital support for artist fees and artwork production costs for The Aboriginal Robot. All donations of $2 or more are tax-deductible. Supporters can also make a general donation to the Biennial or join our Chair’s Circle. For more information on supporting the Canberra Art Biennial, head to canberraartbiennial.com/support-us/
Image credits: Artist Mia Khin Boe in her studio. Photo: Phoebe Kelly. The Aboriginal Robot, 2024, and The Message, 2024, earlier works from Mia Khin Boe’s 2024 exhibition The Aboriginal Robot at Roslyn Oxley Gallery.