Art Gallery of NSW’s newest artwork is revealed – and it’s alive

Two years after the Art Gallery of NSW’s new $344 million building opened, the project’s final art commission, by acclaimed First Nations artist Jonathan Jones, is accessible to the public.

On Thursday, hoardings quietly came down on the sandstone public pathways of the “living” artwork which sits between the gallery’s old and new buildings – though its official opening will take place next year.

Jones’ bíal gwiyúŋo (the fire is not yet lighted) is built on the concrete roof of a city motorway, the Eastern Distributor.Credit: Steven Siewert

Jones’ bíal gwiyúŋo (the fire is not yet lighted) is built on the concrete roof of a city motorway, the Eastern Distributor.

It’s more than a two-hectare garden; the work aims to give expression to the traditions of the world’s oldest living culture.

Within its superstructure, the “living” artwork has been planted with local and regionally significant trees and native grasses – kangaroo grass, gadi/grass tree and banksia – that require fire to thrive and propagate.

Consistent with Indigenous fire management practices, the planted grasses will be seeded and controlled by “cool” fires during the early dry season under the gallery’s activities program, which is integral to the artwork itself. From the star-shaped lawn amphitheatre there will be a rotating roster of gatherings and festivals.

The gardens are technically known as hanging gardens.Credit: Steven Siewert

Once the kangaroo grasses mature, further work will be undertaken to prepare the site for its first cultural burn, which will take place seasonally from then on, involving Indigenous communities.

The engineering and technical challenges of building this living landscape over the Eastern Distributor, and allowing for such cool burns to take place metres from buildings that house priceless masterpieces, are alleged to have pushed costs, covered by private donations, well beyond $14 million, several sources said.

As a point of comparison, Lindy Lee’s outdoor sculpture Ouroboros at the National Gallery of Australia cost $14 million.

The NSW gallery said art commission costs were commercial-in-confidence, but there had been no significant increase in cost over the life of the project.

Beneath the living garden is a complex watering and drainage system, girders to absorb vibration and movements of the land bridge, and a soil depth to support vegetation.

“Part of the beauty of this artwork is the way the various design and engineering challenges have been resolved in such an elegant manner,” a spokesperson said.

“All gardens built on top of such structures – technically known as ‘hanging gardens’ – rely on a variety of techniques to mitigate their weight, including the use of lightweight void material rather than heavier soil alone to raise the level of garden beds.”

Since work began in February 2023, the commission has been beset by tensions and delays over its design, costs, the use of cool cultural burns and its footprint. Gallery director Michael Brand has previously denied a fallout with Jones over the project.

Beneath the living garden is a complex watering and drainage system, girders to absorb vibration and movements of the land bridge, and a soil depth to support vegetation.Credit: Steven Siewert

On Friday, Brand congratulated Jones for “the brilliant concept he is bringing to life so poetically”.

“We are proud to have such a powerful manifestation of Indigenous landscape knowledge at the heart of our expanded campus on Gadigal Country in Sydney,” he said.

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