A huge new sculpture has been unveiled in Circular Quay — and there's more to come

A huge new sculpture was unveiled at Circular Quay yesterday.
The major new public artwork is by acclaimed British artist Thomas J Price.
It marks the first in a multi-year series of public works to be featured on the Tallawoladah Lawn overlooking Sydney Harbour.

The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) have unveiled Ancient Feelings, a major new public artwork by acclaimed British artist Thomas J Price. Set on the Tallawoladah Lawn, with sweeping views of Sydney Harbour, the striking sculpture marks the first in a multi-year series of public artworks to be showcased on the site.

Ancient Feelings is the first work in the Neil Balnaves Tallawoladah Lawn Commission, which will present a large-scale sculptural work from a leading international or Australian contemporary artist from spring through to autumn each year, until 2028. The series is made possible by a $3 million gift from The Balnaves Foundation, honouring the life of Neil Balnaves AO and celebrating his vision and enduring philanthropic contribution to the arts in Australia.

Celebrating the underrepresented

Marking the first time Thomas J Price has had a public art commission in Australia, Ancient Feelings brings his distinctive style to Sydney.

Born in London in 1981, Price is celebrated for his large-scale sculptures of fictional figures, combining traditional sculpting techniques with digital technology. Through scale, material and meticulous detail, his work challenges viewers’ perceptions, provokes thought and confronts entrenched ideas about representation and power.

Cast in golden bronze, Ancient Feelings portrays a majestic woman gazing over the harbour, subverting traditional portraiture and inviting audiences to reconsider who is represented and celebrated in our public spaces.

At over three metres tall, the sculpture is a statement, seeking to unsettle the hierarchies of traditional public art statues.

Thomas J Price comments: “Ancient Feelings raises questions about who gets to be seen and who gets to be valued. This glowing bronze sculpture illuminates 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 hope it will be an absolute joy for many people and for others it may provoke discomfort, and that tension is precisely where the work finds its strength,” continues Price.

Thomas J Price, Grounded in the Stars, 2025, installation view, Times Square Arts, New York City, 2025. — Price’s Grounded in the Stars, 2025, in Times Square Arts, New York City. (Image supplied).

A win for Sydney’s art scene

The Neil Balnaves Tallawoladah Lawn Commission is an exciting addition to Sydney’s art scene, offering free, accessible sculptures for all to enjoy while drawing leading international and Australian artists to enrich the city’s cultural landscape.

Amid the MCA’s recent introduction of a general admissions fee and funding uncertainties surrounding Sculpture by the Sea, the arrival of free public artwork is a welcome addition to the city.

Price has previously had his large-scale sculptures featured in iconic locations such as Piazza della Signoria in Florence and Times Square in New York, highlighting his global appeal. Having his work on display in Circular Quay, one of Sydney’s top tourist destinations, is sure to draw in art fans and passing tourists alike.

(Cover Image Credit: Anna Kucera)