One of the world's most accomplished artists, Adrián Villa Rojas, has today been announced as the inaugural commission for The Tank exhibition space in the new extension to the Art Gallery of NSW, opening 3 December 2022.
The NSW Government's tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW and the Art Gallery of NSW have secured the revered Argentine-Peruvian sculptor's The End of Imagination as the opening exhibition for the cavernous 2,200 square metre underground gallery, which has been repurposed from a former WWII fuel tank.
Minister for the Arts and Tourism Ben Franklin said having such an internationally renowned artist as part of the opening program for the new AGNSW expansion would put a spotlight on Sydney as a global cultural destination.
"The completion of the Art Gallery of New South Wales' expansion not only offers more art for more people but also unveils a hidden treasure - a former WWII naval fuel tank masterfully repurposed as a world-class exhibition space, where visitors will be able to view this first Tank commission, The End of Imagination," Mr Franklin said.
"Great global cities encourage experimentation and adventure in art and The End of Imagination is an exciting new exhibition staged in a world- class space for Sydney, presented by the state's tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW, in collaboration with the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
"I look forward to the expanded Art Gallery attracting visitors from across the state, the nation and from around the world as we open this must-see destination for art in the nation's cultural capital."
Overlooking Sydney Harbour, the expanded art museum comprises the new SANAA-designed AGNSW expansion, which provides a prominent new destination for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, and the existing late-19th-century building, connected by an art garden.
