10 Nov 2025

A powerful new addition to Sydney’s cultural landscape for all to experience

The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA Australia) proudly unveils Ancient Feelings, 2025, a major new public artwork by acclaimed British artist Thomas J Price. This striking large-scale sculpture marks the launch of the inaugural Neil Balnaves Tallawoladah Lawn Commission, the first in a three-year series of public works to be featured in front of MCA Australia on the Tallawoladah Lawn, overlooking Warrane/Sydney Harbour. It is a spectacular addition to the cultural landscape of Circular Quay and The Rocks precinct for locals and visitors alike. This independently funded sculpture is the result of a visionary gift from The Balnaves Foundation on behalf of the family in honour of founder, husband and father, Neil Balnaves AO.

2025 marks a landmark year for Price as a contemporary living artist, with his work unveiled in some of the world’s most iconic public spaces – including Grounded in the Stars in New York’s Times Square and Time Unfolding in Florence’s historic Piazza della Signoria. Ancient Feelings marks the artist’s first public artwork in Australia, bringing Price’s distinctive approach to Sydney, by the world’s most recognisable harbour.

Measuring over three metres tall and cast in a golden bronze, Ancient Feelings is a commanding presence. Price’s work invites reflection on identity, visibility and shared humanity. It challenges the history of public monuments and encourages people to reflect on our own ideas of beauty and commemoration.

Price uses the traditional material of bronze in his sculptures to challenge the structures of power and representation embedded in classical sculpture. His work deliberately engages with the symbolic weight of bronze, a material historically associated with permanence, authority and commemoration.

'Ancient Feelings raises questions about who gets to be seen and who gets to be valued,' said Thomas J Price. 'This glowing bronze sculpture can help illuminate the real issues that still exist around a lack of willingness to acknowledge history, a resistance to accepting people’s accounts of themselves and their lives, and the realness of our shared humanity.

To have a fictional representation of a black woman, beaming in this golden bronze at a scale that is only associated with power, praise and high standing, I think it will be an absolute joy for many people. For others it may provoke discomfort, and that tension is precisely where the work finds its strength.'

For MCA Australia, the commission extends contemporary art and ideas into the public realm and provides an exciting opportunity to renew interest in and spark conversation about the role of public monuments.

'Public art is unique in its ability to create dialogue,' said MCA Australia Director, Suzanne Cotter. ‘Everyone has an opinion about the art they might experience in public spaces. And in an era where the role of the monument has never been more hotly debated, The Neil Balnaves Commission offers propositions and time for reflection from living artists who are engaged with our contemporary world.'

The Neil Balnaves Tallawoladah Lawn Commission

The Neil Balnaves Tallawoladah Lawn Commission is a new annual initiative made possible by The Balnaves Foundation, honouring the legacy of philanthropist Neil Balnaves AO (1944–2022). This three-year series aims to bring world-class contemporary sculpture to the public – free and accessible to all – in a place of deep cultural and historical significance.

'This commission is a bold and generous addition to the MCA program thanks to The Balnaves Foundation that honours the legacy of Neil Balnaves AO,' said Suzanne Cotter, Director of MCA Australia. 'It demonstrates the transformative power of philanthropy in enabling us to experience ambitious art in our daily lives.'

'My father strongly believed in the power of art to enrich lives,' said Hamish Balnaves, CEO of The Balnaves Foundation. 'He was particularly passionate about bold public sculpture and its ability to challenge perspectives and ignite conversation.'

The power of philanthropy

The Balnaves Foundation’s generous donation demonstrates the transformative power of philanthropy, making art accessible to people as part of their daily lives, further encouraging governments to put forward additional support.

'Neil advocated for both the philanthropic community and the government to fund the arts and cultural sector in Australia. The Foundation is continuing his legacy by supporting the arts and ensuring access to art for all, with the hope that others may be inspired to give,” Hamish Balnaves added.

'We are deeply indebted to the Balnaves family and The Balnaves Foundation for their support and for choosing this Commission Series to honour Neil Balnaves – one of Australia’s most respected arts philanthropists,' said Suzanne Cotter. 'Together the MCA Australia and The Balnaves Foundation are expanding access to the best international contemporary art for millions of people. This Commission is a fitting tribute to Neil’s vision and passion for bold, thought-provoking art that is accessible to everyone.'

Public program

Accompanying the inaugural Lawn Commission, MCA Australia will present an engaging public program of talks, workshops and walking tours which connects people of all ages and backgrounds with themes and ideas inspired by the work Ancient Feelings and the Commission Series. This includes:

• Thomas J Price in conversation with author, journalist and filmmaker Santilla Chingaipe on Saturday 27 September, 2–3pm
• A series of talks highlighting the importance of public art and redefining of monuments over the last decades
• Public art walking tours in neighbouring streets and spaces
• Kids and Families programs on Tallawoladah Lawn and within the Museum

Thomas J Price’s Ancient Feelings will remain on display through to April 2026, offering millions of visitors the opportunity to engage with contemporary art in a dynamic and meaningful way outside of the Museum.
 

About the artist – Thomas J Price

Thomas J Price has become renowned for his powerful and poetic artworks that confront deeply entrenched notions of race and power. Price's large-scale sculptures of everyday, imagined people invite us to consider who is typically remembered and represented in public space.

Born in 1981, Price lives and works in London. He studied at Chelsea College of Art and the Royal College of Art, London and has held solo exhibitions at institutions including The Power Plant, Toronto, Canada; The National Portrait Gallery, London; the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, West Bretton, UK; the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; Kunsthalle Krems, Austria; and Kunsthal Rotterdam. Price’s work is held in collections such as the Art Gallery of Ontario, Canada; Brooklyn Museum, New York; National Gallery of Victoria; Studio Museum in Harlem, New York; and The Legacy Museum, Montgomery, AL.

Price was commissioned by Hackney Council to create the first permanent public sculptures to celebrate the contribution of the Windrush generation and their descendants in the UK, unveiled in June 2022. His solo presentation in collaboration with The Studio Museum in Harlem was on view in Marcus Garvey Park from 2021 to 2022.

In 2025 Price opened a multi-venue exhibition in Florence across Piazza della Signoria, Palazzo Vecchio and Museo Novecento, and unveiled the monumental work Grounded in the Stars in New York’s Times Square. In 2026 the artist will present a new public commission for the V&A East Museum as part of the newly established East Bank campus at Olympic Park, London.

About Neil Balnaves AO 1944 – 2022

In 2006 Neil Balnaves AO founded The Balnaves Foundation. Already an established philanthropist, Neil wanted to create a pathway for intergenerational giving, bringing his family together to help create a better Australia through the arts, education and medicine.

Prior to establishing the Foundation, Neil had a long and successful career in the media industry, including founding the Southern Star Group in 1988. As a film and TV executive, Neil was proud to have been involved in bringing many popular shows to Australian screens, including Water Rats, Blue Heelers, Big Brother, The Secret Life of Us, McLeod’s Daughters and Bananas in Pyjamas.

Neil was the Chairman of Ardent Leisure Group, one of Australia’s most successful owners and operators of premium leisure assets, from 2003 until 2016. Other former directorships include Hanna-Barbera Australia, Reed Consolidated Industries, Hamlyn Group, Taft Hardie, Southern Star Group and Southern Cross Broadcasting.

He was the Chancellor of Charles Darwin University, and a former Director and Trustee Member of Bond University, receiving an Honorary Doctorate of the Bond University in 2009. In addition, Neil was a Board Member of the Art Gallery of South Australia from 2013 to 2019, was a former member of the Advisory Council and Dean’s Circle at the University of New South Wales Faculty of Medicine, and in 2010 received an Honorary Doctorate of the University of New South Wales.

Neil was immensely proud to be appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2010, for his services to the community through philanthropic support for the arts, education, medical research and Indigenous programs, and to business. Neil sadly passed away in February 2022 and is greatly missed by his family who honour his legacy, ensuring Neil’s vision for the Foundation, to create a better Australia, will continue.

Find out more about The Balnaves Foundation.

About The Balnaves Foundation

The Balnaves Foundation is a private philanthropic organisation established in 2006 by Neil Balnaves AO. The Foundation disperses $5 million annually to eligible organisations that aim to create a better Australia through education, medicine and the arts with a focus on young people, the disadvantaged and Indigenous Australia.