The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA Australia) has announced that one of the world’s most influential contemporary artists, Ai Weiwei, as the 2026 Neil Balnaves Tallawoladah Lawn Commission artist.
Ai will unveil a major new public artwork on the iconic Tallawoladah Lawn on the Warrane/Sydney Harbour foreshore in September 2026. Ai is an acclaimed global artist who for more than four decades has used sculpture, film, architecture, writing and social media to move hearts, change minds and challenge authority.
The artist first found critical acclaim with artworks such as Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn and Study of Perspective (both 1995), before reaching a global audience with large-scale installations and architectural projects. These include co-designing with architects Herzog & de Meuron the iconic ‘Bird’s Nest’ stadium for the 2008 Beijing Olympics and filling Tate’s Turbine Hall with 100 million handmade porcelain Sunflower Seeds in 2010.
He is well known to Australian audiences for his installation Law of the Journey (2017), displayed as part of the 21st Biennale of Sydney in 2018, and has exhibited in galleries across the country. Most recently, he has created works in response to his experiences travelling through conflict-affected regions in Ukraine.
His new work for the Neil Balnaves Tallawoladah Lawn Commission is set to be one of the most thought provoking and impactful public art works presented in Australia in 2026. “To be invited to participate in the MCA’s commissioned creation of an artwork is a great honour, and it filled me with excitement,” said Ai Weiwei.
MCA Australia Director, Suzanne Cotter said the selection of Ai is a testament to the principles of the Neil Balnaves Tallawoladah Lawn Commission to deliver significant, statement-making contemporary art created especially for the public domain, and a demonstration of the MCA’s ongoing ambition to bring the work of the world’s best living artists to Australia.
“Ai Weiwei is an artist whose voice resonates far beyond the art world. This Commission will be an important moment for Sydney – ambitious in scale, profound in message, and will engage everyone who visits this iconic location,” said Cotter.
“The Neil Balnaves Tallawoladah Lawn Commission was established to ensure Australians could have meaningful interactions with artists of global standing through accessible public art. Ai Weiwei exemplifies everything this Commission stands for: his practice challenges us to think deeply about humanity, power and responsibility,” said Hamish Balnaves, CEO of The Balnaves Foundation.
“We are proud to support a work that will speak to audiences from all walks of life in such a significant place. This Commission honours my father Neil Balnaves’ belief that art should be ambitious, accessible to all and capable of shaping how we see the world.’
The Neil Balnaves Tallawoladah Lawn Commission series is supported by The Balnaves Foundation, in honour of the legacy of philanthropist Neil Balnaves AO (1944–2022). This series aims to bring world-class contemporary sculpture to the public each year from 2025–2028 – free and accessible to all – in a place of deep cultural and historical significance.
The inaugural Commission opened in September 2025 with British artist Thomas J Price’s striking work Ancient Feelings. The Neil Balnaves Tallawoladah Lawn Commission invites a major artist each year to create a large-scale artwork for MCA Australia’s waterfront lawn on Tallawoladah, Warrane/Sydney.
The series supports ambitious public art projects that provoke dialogue between artists and their audiences. Ai Weiwei is the second artist to be awarded this annual commission.
For more information about the Neil Balnaves Tallawoladah Lawn Commission, visit: www.mca.com.au for details.
Images: Ai Weiwei – photo courtesy of Ai Weiwei Studio | Ai Weiwei, Law of the Journey, 2017, reinforced PVC with aluminium frame 60 x 6 x 3 m Presentation at the 21st Biennale of Sydney was made possible with generous support from the Sherman Foundation Installation view of the 21st Biennale of Sydney (2018) at Cockatoo Island. Photograph: Document Photography Courtesy the artist and neugerriemschneider, Berlin | Suzanne Cotter, Director MCA Australia with the Balnaves Family: Victoria Balnaves, Hamish Balnaves and Diane Balnaves – photo by Cassandra Hannagan