
New major cultural artwork commissioned for Circular Quay
- 6 Jun 2025
Sydney, 6 June 2024: Circular Quay is set to welcome a major new permanent artwork by First Nations artist, Alison Page, commissioned as part of Lendlease’s Circular Quay development.
The sculpture by Dharawal and Yuin artist Alison Page is titled Badjgama Ngunda Whuliwulawala (Black Women Rising) and has been developed in consultation with an independent art panel with cultural advisors led by Rhoda Roberts AO as curator, as well as Sydney coastal Aboriginal women from the Sydney Coastal Aboriginal Women’s Group. Members of the group were invited to be part of the process to help the artwork and public realm become a site of cultural pride that immortalises First Nations women. The naming of the work was in consultation with the Gujaga Foundation.
The artwork will be a 5.5-metre-high bronze sculpture featuring a powerful Aboriginal woman who is part woman, part whale, rising from a pool of water. It is currently under development at Urban Art Projects factory in Brisbane, with installation to start in 2026.
The presence of this striking artwork on Sydney’s waterfront promenade will enhance the public realm in a core part of the city, and create a distinct cultural experience for the community, residents and travellers.
Lendlease’s Circular Quay development includes the luxury residence tower One Circular Quay, and the new Waldorf Astoria Sydney hotel. The artwork will be installed within the development’s precinct.
“Badjgama Ngunda Whuliwulawala (Black Women Rising) emerges from the water in the Tank stream below the city, a place of spiritual potency for my people – she is the mixing of the salt water and the fresh water, her energy and essence lives within the Aboriginal women of Sydney today – she is every black woman, every mother, daughter, sister, aunty, she is Country.”
“Exceptional public spaces can act as canvases for cultural expression, enriching the connections between people and place.
“This new major public artwork by Alison Page will become a prominent and powerful feature along the Circular Quay waterfront, drawing people in and stimulating conversation with its strength of story.”
ENDS
For more information:
Ashley Chrysler
Senior Manager External Affairs – NSW/ACT/QLD
ashley.chrysler@lendlease.com
+61 472 653 297