Special guest CEO and artistic director from the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA) Myles Russell-Cook officially opened this year’s Beechworth Biennale over the long weekend.

The opening followed Duduroa and Yorta Yorta man Johnny Murray giving ‘Welcome to Country’ and smoking ceremony.

Mr Russell-Cook had returned the day before from the United States as the head curator of touring show ‘The Stars We Do Not See: Australian Indigenous Art’, presented in partnership with the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC.

Biennale founder Nina Machielse Hunt said the exhibition had been the largest exhibition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art presented overseas.

Born and raised in Melbourne/Naarm, Mr Russell-Cook’s maternal Aboriginal ancestors come from the lands of the Wotjobaluk people.

The CEO and artistic director has lived and worked in various communities around Australia throughout his career.

In his opening address, Mr Russell-Cook said he loved contemporary art with its ability to make people think and feel more deeply.

“Contemporary art is where history is made, and the artists of today are the champions and storytellers and I'm in awe of everything that you all do,” he said.

“I believe events like this are unbelievably important as they're the mirror that we hold up to ourselves in times of crises."

Mr Russell-Cook said a lot of people around the world are hurting - dispossessed from their ancestral lands because of unnecessary conflict.

“I want to acknowledge those people as well and those stories," he said.

“Events such as the Beechworth Biennale are an opportunity for nuanced conversation, because that's what art can do.

“Sometimes art is the only place where two things can be true and you can make sense of something that seems incomprehensible.

“I'm really impressed with the artists in this lineup and overwhelmed by the incredible support that a community can have for the power of contemporary art.”

Internationally renowned artist Locust Jones reflected his response to world news in a work undertaken over the three-day event.

Hailing from the Blue Mountains in NSW, Mr Jones created a huge work on paper and materials and resources in the installation ‘Newsroom’ in the Contemporary Art Space gallery.

Using a medium of oils and black ink, the artist works are driven by news media for his drawing practice from multiple sources such as radio broadcasts, video, live news feeds, sound and sometimes music or percussion.

“I’m interested in maps, geography, geopolitics, the environment - everything that's happening to our world whether it be global warming or to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) with oil," he said.

He said an interest in the Middle East dated back 25 years where he had residencies there.

“The longest drawing I've done is 100 metres, which took 11 months and everything that happened in 2011 went into the drawing called ‘Everyday Atrocities’," he said.

Mr Jones said the Beechworth Biennale drew interesting artists and exposed the community to different art forms.

His installation site was one of 20 around Beechworth drawing inspirational creativity from local and national artists.

Chiltern’s Margaret Considine visited the Biennale for the first time, with the first stop to see mosaic sculptures installation ‘Community’ by artist Deborah Halpern.

“It’s fantastic with whimsical mosaics having people's faces that can be interpreted in so many ways, and the colours are divine,” she said.

Contemporary art lovers had a chance to attend sessions with artists in conversation too with public talks convened by Mr Russell-Cook and two other guests, Murray Art Museum Albury CEO Blair French and artist/curator Caroline Esbenshade.

Ms Machielse Hunt said the event had received Australian Government funding.