If you’ve got an idea for a project or artwork that will bring colour and joy to the heart of Sydney, we want to hear about it.
We invite Australian and international artists, curators and creatives of all genres to share their ideas and be part of our Art & About Sydney program.
Whether you’re a visual artist, performer, filmmaker, musician or a theatre company, we’re looking for inspiring ideas that are new, innovative, demonstrate artistic excellence, are participatory and inclusive, and create unique experiences through diverse and interesting collaborations.
For each project that is selected to be part of our program, we’re offering up to $60,000 as well as resources to assist artists including creative concept development, support with production and development applications, security, marketing and PR.
Since it was established 22 years ago, Art & About Sydney has become an internationally renowned program that attracts artists and collaborators from all corners of the globe.
Previous Art & About works
Works that have previously featured as part of Art & About Sydney include:
Lost Figures – a large outdoor mural that tells the story of Patyegarang – a young Aboriginal woman who played a significant role between the Aboriginal and British in 1788 – and William Dawes – an engineer and astronomer who worked with Patyegarang in 1790-91 to create what is now considered the first written account of the Sydney Aboriginal language.
Passenger - an immersive work that involved the audience riding in a moving suburban bus through Sydney streets, overhearing a conversation between 2 fellow ‘passengers’.
Bandaloop - one of the world’s leading dance companies brought its pioneering ‘vertical dance’ to Australia for the first time. Turning the dance floor on its side, the work had previously been performed in theatres, museums, on skyscrapers, bridges, billboards, historical sites and on cliffs around the world.
Bodies in Urban Spaces - a group of movement artists clad in colourful sweat-shirts ran, jumped and squeezed themselves into, on, around and under the urban landscape in a performance of living human sculpture.
A Million Things That Make Your Head Spin – an art installation in Customs House that incorporated 10 kilometres of different coloured ribbons woven together to create a multi-storey kaleidoscope.
HEARD.SYD - 30 life-size ‘horses’ dancing in unique, choreographed pieces transformed Pitt Street Mall into a large performance space.
“Art & About Sydney is renowned for showcasing works that attract thousands of visitors into the city to enjoy each year,” Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore said.
“This is about celebrating our city’s creativity and imagination, with local and international artists bringing their unique ideas to our parks and squares, streets and laneways.”
Applications close on Tuesday 13 June and works can be presented from November 2023.
Published 12 May 2023
