SYDNEY.- The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA Australia) is delighted to announce Thomas J Price as the recipient of the inaugural Neil Balnaves Tallawoladah Lawn Commission.

The announcement of Thomas J Price represents an exciting moment for the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia and Sydney. This is the first contemporary sculptural commission for the iconic Tallawoladah Lawn, in front of MCA Australia, overlooking Warrane, Sydney Harbour at Circular Quay, to be presented annually over the next three years.

Born in London in 1981, Thomas J Price is renowned for his large-scale sculptural works of fictional figures that bring together traditional sculpting methods with digital technology. In these works, the artist plays with scale, material and detail to challenge and surprise the viewer and confront preconceived attitudes towards representation and entrenched power structures.

In contrast to traditional public monuments commemorating historical figures, Price’s sculptural works reframe the ordinary as extraordinary and celebrate individuals engaged in everyday activity; disrupting the ways in which we predetermine value. In utilising Western sculptural traditions to elevate the everyday lives of people of colour, Price’s brilliantly “ordinary” sculptures prompt audiences to consider their own socially conditioned attitudes.

This landmark annual commissioning series on the historic and culturally significant site of Tallawoladah, advances Sydney’s position as one of Australia’s leading cultural destinations. The Commission offers an exceptional opportunity for millions of Australians and visitors to engage with world-leading contemporary art and ideas, beyond the walls of the Museum.

Thomas J Price’s newly created work will be unveiled in Spring 2025 and remain on public display until Autumn 2026.

The Neil Balnaves Tallawoladah Lawn Commission is named in honour of Australian philanthropist Neil Balnaves AO (1944–2022) and made possible by the generous support of The Balnaves Foundation.

Tallawoladah is the traditional lands of the Gadigal people and has been home to stories, art and culture for over 65,000 years.

Suzanne Cotter, MCA Australia Director said, ‘We could not be more pleased to be announcing Thomas J Price as the first artist to create a new publicly sited sculpture for our inaugural Neil Balnaves Tallawoladah Lawn Commission. Thomas’s work is boldly dramatic and irresistibly generous in its call to see one another as we are and its cues for deeper human connection. We are excited for the many visitors to this culturally and significant site to access and experience his art at all times of the day.’

Hamish Balnaves, CEO, The Balnaves Foundation said, 'The Balnaves family is delighted to partner with the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia on this extraordinary project and we are excited that Thomas J Price will be the inaugural artist for the Neil Balnaves Tallawoladah Lawn Commission. Price’s relatable, thought provoking, bold and engaging works resonate deeply with my father, Neil Balnaves’, life-long commitment to enrich people’s lives through art and this Commission is a fitting tribute to his life, legacy and memory.’

Artist Thomas J Price said, ’I’m honoured to be the first recipient of the inaugural Neil Balnaves Tallawoladah Lawn Commission. Public sculpture has been a vital element of my practice for over two decades, dismantling perceptions of historical figures of power and presenting an alternative that celebrates us all. For me, sculpture is about understanding your environment and your place in space, your connection to others and capacity for empathy. My ambition has always been that these works would bring communities closer together and live in the public realm as silent totems for change.’

Thomas J Price (b.1981, London) is one of Britain’s leading contemporary artists. Price’s practice extends beyond a strategy of figuration, harnessing the narrative power of performance, film, photography, animation and abstract sculpture consistently throughout his career.

Celebrated for his large-scale figurative sculptures, Price draws our attention to the psychological embodiment of his fictional characters, highlighting nuanced understandings of social signifiers and predetermined value.

Price studied at Chelsea College of Art, London before completing his MA at the Royal College of Art, London. He has exhibited widely internationally, including presentations at ARKEN Museum of Moderne Kunst, Copenhagen; Kunsthalle Krems, Austria; National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne; Royal Academy of Arts, London; Somerset House, London; The National Portrait Gallery, London; The Power Plant, Toronto, Canada and The Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield, UK.

Price’s presentation, Witness, in collaboration with The Studio Museum in Harlem, was on view in Marcus Garvey Park, New York from 2021–2022. In June 2022, the artist unveiled Warm Shores, the first permanent public artwork to celebrate the contribution of the Windrush generation and their descendants in the UK, commissioned by Hackney Council, London.

Recent and forthcoming projects include the solo exhibition Matter of Place on display at Kunsthal Rotterdam, Netherlands (opened 5 October 2024); In-visible Bodies, Musée Rodin, Paris (opened 15 October 2024) and The Time is Always Now, Philadelphia Museum of Art, US (forthcoming, 9 November 2024). In 2025 the artist will present a new public commission for the V&A East Museum as part of the newly established East Bank campus at Olympic Park, London.

The artist’s work has been collected by major public and private art collections internationally. In 2009, Price was the recipient of the Arts Council England Helen Chadwick Fellowship.