Major Sydney artwork unveiled by RMIT Distinguished Professor and leading contemporary artist

Major Sydney artwork unveiled by RMIT Distinguished Professor and leading contemporary artist

RMIT Distinguished Professor Mikala Dwyer – one of Australia’s leading contemporary artists – has unveiled a new landmark art installation in Sydney Harbour.

Monuments for Fishes, a large-scale floating installation on the water’s edge at Barangaroo South, is the first artwork of its kind to establish a permanent presence on the iconic Harbour. 

Commissioned by Lendlease, the work transforms Watermans Cove through a series of brightly coloured floating sculptures, inspired by traditional fishing floats. 

The work celebrates the Sydney precinct of Barangaroo and pays homage to the coastal fisherwomen who fished in the waters from before recorded history, while also creating reef-like habitat beneath the water's surface. 

06 July 2026

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RMIT Distinguished Professor Mikala Dwyer.RMIT Distinguished Professor Mikala Dwyer.

Dwyer said Monuments for Fishes responds to Watermans Cove through continual movement, a material relationship to boats, buoys and fishing, and an underwater structure that provides a reef-like habitat for marine life. 

“Whether glowing in the sun or lit from inside at night, dancing or offering a contemplative presence, it is a barometer of the harbour’s energy cycles,” she said.

“My work is always about relationships and the decision to make a circle of five emphasises communion. The five forms represent the idea of community.”

The installation was engineered using carbon fibre, steel cores and marine-grade systems and reflects Dwyer's long-standing practice of transforming everyday objects into monumental works that invite curiosity and reflection.   

Mikala Dwyer, Continuum, 2024, ceramic tile mural (6.9 x 5.6m).Mikala Dwyer, Continuum, 2024, ceramic tile mural (6.9 x 5.6m), 6 stainless steel, brass, bronze & aluminium suspended sculptures (1-2.5m | variable dimensions)/ Martin Place Station, Sydney | Image courtesy of Sydney Metro.

Dwyer is one of Australia's most influential artists over an impressive career, which spans more than four decades.  Her work has received international acclaim. 

Her practice spans sculpture, installation, performance and large-scale public art, and is widely celebrated for its ambition, experimentation and conceptual depth.  

Mikala Dwyer, Continuum, 2024, polished stainless steel, 6.4 x 2m.Mikala Dwyer, Continuum, 2024, polished stainless steel, 6.4 x 2m Martin Place Station, Sydney | Image courtesy of Sydney Metro.

The Barangaroo commission builds on Dwyer’s significant public art contributions to Martin Place Station, ACMI and other civic and cultural sites across Australia and internationally, including Phantasms in Hong Kong. 

 

Story: Finn Devlin

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06 July 2026

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