Skywhales Across Australia: Patricia Piccinini

Patricia Piccinini’s Skywhalepapa is a monumental sculpture in the form of a hot-air balloon. Together with its companion piece Skywhale they form a skywhale family.

Following their debut over Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra 2021, the floating pair will continue to take to skies across Australia as a National Gallery touring event in 2026.

Piccinini believes Skywhales Across Australia is not only two spectacular sculptures but a performance piece:

“I imagine visitors assembling to watch Skywhalepapa coming to life, with a single skywhale figure we have a character, but with the two we have a relationship, and a narrative.” says Piccinini.

As the skywhales float across the dawn skies, Piccinini calls on communities to engage with them creatively. Make a morning of it, prepare a picnic, watch in awe, and sing along in wonder as the skywhale family takes flight.

See the skywhales in Armidale as part of the Autumn Festival on the 21st of March from 5:30am in Civic Park and floating over the CBD as the sun rises.

Patricia Piccinini will then join us at the New England Regional Art Museum for the following events:

11am-12pm: Every Heart Sings Book Reading

1:30pm-2:30pm: Artist Talk with Patricia Piccinini

Skywhales Across Australia is a National Gallery Touring Event, supported by the Australian Government through Visions of Australia and the National Collecting Institutions Touring Outreach Program. 

Skywhales is the third instalment of The Balnaves Contemporary Series and is a Know My Name project.