New Zealand born, Sydney based artist and engineer Mike Hewson has recently unveiled a new exhibition in the belly of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney. It is free, and on now until 2026.
The artist is known for his public playgrounds and this is his first museum show. Here, Hewson scales up the fun of play spaces presenting a multifaceted underground Park. It’s in keeping with Hewson’s unique style which encourages participants to actively query, problem solve and take (perceived, but not too real) risks. However, carers are asked to actively supervise children.
The artistic intervention is found in the Naala Badu building, Lower level 4, Nelson Packer Tank, a former World War II oil tank. The AGNSW says this work 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.”
The work is titled ‘The Key’s Under the Mat’ and it promises to be a multi-sensory experience comprising light, movement, smells and sounds with water features, climbing apparatus and play equipment at odd angles and constructed from thousands of salvaged objects and materials (mostly sourced from Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree around Australia). The centrepiece is the playground, but the installation also has a laundry, steam room (a converted former milk vat) and barbecue (an old road plate), inviting all into this ‘boundary-testing brand of social sculpture’ as the AGNSW says.
So what inspired Hewson to colour outside the lines like this? Witnessing the 2011 earthquake in Christchurch changed the way the artist felt about design. In an interview with the ABC’s 7:30 he shared the memory of watching the city crumble. He reflected ‘which leads you to believe things aren’t as fixed as you think…We know we need as a society to be more adaptable. More nimble. And we need challenges to achieve that.’
While Hewson’s creations are unconventional, they are designed to be safe. He asserts ‘there’s really nothing risky about them in that they’re compliant playgrounds but I guess there is an aesthetic about them that is slightly precarious.’ This hint of risk or uncertainty is one of the most important aspects of the work, especially for kids. Children, he says, ‘they internally risk assess and that’s how we become an adaptable and resilient society as we continually grow, and we need to provide spaces for people to enjoyably learn it.’
On Monday 1 December there will be an Access Tour and Workshop. The exhibition is busy and complex so if you have a question refer to the the gallery or FAQs page here for more information.
After you enjoy the indoor park, go outside! Beyond the gallery you can explore Hewson’s playgrounds in Leichhardt which is replete with ropes and upturned buckets, St Peters that offers fencing and small walls evocative of a graveyard, in Wollongong which brings together surprisingly placed rocks and trees and Southbank which has huge boulders on little wheels.
