Fresh and familiar artists across multiple disciplines are joining forces to celebrate human connection in times of conflict.
More than 80 creatives from across the globe will contribute to an exhibition called Ten Thousand Suns in the next Sydney Biennale.
"The work is an art form of resistance," artistic director Cosmin Costinas told AAP.
"It's not fun for the sake of it."
The 24th edition of the biennale will take place next year.
As war rages in Europe and the Middle East, Mr Costinas said the most urgent action the arts sector could take was to show different paths forward.
Artists will explore different topics under one overarching theme, challenging common mindsets of perpetual crisis through expressions of hope and resistance.
The mothballed White Bay Power Station will open to the public for the first time in 40 years for the major event, which will bring together painters, sculptors, musicians and digital artists.
"That richness of diversity will definitely manifest in the exhibition itself," co-artistic director Inti Guerrero said.
"It's about affirmation of life in spite of (the times)."
The biennale will take place across six Sydney sites, with NSW Arts Minister John Graham describing the power station reopening as the intersection of old and new in the form of creative expression.
"It is an incredibly important dialogue between our artists, our institutions and the rest of the world," he said.
"The oldest continuous discussion about contemporary art, going now for 50 years."
Completed in 1917 and later decommissioned in 1984, the state heritage-listed power station has served as a part of Sydney's industrial past for more than 100 years.
Originally used to power the city's tram network, the striking piece of Sydney's history is being reopened as a space to power the arts, culture and creativity.
"We didn't want to open with a whimper," Placemaking NSW chief executive Anita Mitchell said.
"We wanted to open with a blockbuster."
The biennale will run from March 9 to June 10.
Most events will be free and some will be ticketed.
