#sydney REVIEW - Mike Hewson - The Key’s Under the Mat at the Art Gallery of NSW - Naala Badu building (North).
Known for his ‘risky’ playground Rocks on Wheels in Melbourne, Mike Hewson brings a brand new hands-on installation and playground to the Art Gallery of NSW’s Nelson Packer Tank. The space was transformed from darkness into a lit-up, immersive environment, what a transformation!
Not for the faint-hearted, this lively art park combines physical play with artistic experience.
Warnings apply: rough and uneven surfaces, water features, hot surfaces, enclosed spaces with high temperatures, low visibility, and high climbing structures without padded fall zones. Children under 12 must be actively supervised at all times.
Mike Hewson - The Key’s Under the Mat is free and on until some time in 2026.
Checkout the exhibition’s full FAQ for more info.
#artgalleryofnsw #mikehewson #thekeysunderthemat - Photos by @busycitykids
Australia’s most dramatic exhibition space is completely transformed, as artist Mike Hewson brings his unique and boundary-testing brand of social sculpture to the Nelson Packer Tank.
Renowned for award-winning public projects that are at once artworks, play areas, and places to be, Hewson is reimagining the Tank as a combined park, playground, construction site, and commons – an anarchic and generous sculptural neighbourhood where visitors can meet, dwell, play, make, perform, explore and more.
Developed in the artist’s dynamic Sydney workshop and constructed from thousands of salvaged objects and materials, Hewson’s project is an experiment in participation, a spirited act of reclamation and regeneration, a radical rework of the legacies of modern sculpture, and a provocation about what a truly welcoming art museum might look like. For Hewson, whose sculptural practice was catalysed by the experience of the Christchurch earthquakes, the artist is a host who welcomes guests to use the artwork as their own – ‘the key’s under the mat, make yourself at home’.
Free to all and made for all ages, this one-of-a-kind project is accompanied by a multilayered and playful publication revealing the many people, objects and ideas that have come together to create Mike Hewson: The Key’s Under the Mat.
The Art Gallery of New South Wales gratefully acknowledges the support of the following donors: major exhibition patrons Anna Dudek and Brad Banducci, and major exhibition patron Alenka Tindale.
Event Details:
Dates: Opens 4 October 2025 - end date not provided
Location: Art Gallery of New South Wales - Naala Badu, our north building - Lower level 4, Nelson Packer Tank
Cost: Free, no bookings required