Ai Weiwei Unveils Major Public Artwork Mushrooms at MCA Australia
The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia unveiled Mushrooms, a major new temporary public artwork by internationally acclaimed artist Ai Weiwei for the Neil Balnaves Tallawoladah Lawn Commission series.
Installed in front of MCA Australia on Tallawoladah Lawn, overlooking Warrane/Sydney Harbour, Mushrooms invites audiences to meditate on the fragility of life during times of conflict and division.
Forty metres in length, Ai’s monumental artwork comprises 500 cast-iron sculptures of combat helmets, transforming symbols of war into a call for peace.
‘In the era we live in, the 21st century, wars have not ceased,’ says Ai. ‘We continue to exist in a time where war and peace interchangeably assume each other’s roles, shaping the identity of our age. I hope this work prompts people to reflect on war and peace.’
Main Image: Ai Weiwei, Mushrooms, 2026, installation view, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, 2026, cast iron, commissioned by the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia for the 2026 Neil Balnaves Tallawoladah Lawn Commission, image courtesy Ai Weiwei Studio, MCA Australia, Galleria Continua and Lisson Gallery © Ai Weiwei Studio, photography: Anna Kučera