In September, Cairns audiences will experience first-hand two giant hot air balloon sculptures by internationally renowned artist, Patricia Piccinini, that have thrilled audiences around the world.

The Gallery, in partnership with the National Gallery of Australia, will become a tropical home to Skywhale 2013 and Skywhalepapa 2020 as the two fantastical creatures are inflated and tethered at the Cairns Showgrounds for one day only! 

While the balloons are not able to make a free-flight across Cairns due to the proximity of the Cairns flightpath, this event is not to be missed, with a tether allowing audiences to enjoy this incredible floating sculpture up close and personal for longer.

The National Gallery’s touring event Skywhales: Every Hearts Sings celebrates the extraordinary diversity of nature while raising complex questions about evolution, transmutation, and gendered parenting roles in our world today.

Patricia Piccinini is an Australian artist who lives and works in Melbourne. She is internationally recognised for her extraordinary imagination and passion for creating research-driven artworks that reside somewhere in the space between the real and the hyperreal. Patricia has been a frequent visitor to far north Queensland and the Cairns Art Gallery and in 2019 her acclaimed solo exhibition at the Gallery included new works created in response to the ecology, flora, and fauna of far north Queensland.