Mike Hewson is a Sydney-based visual artist with a background in structural engineering and heavy-civil construction. His award-winning projects pioneer new ways to merge conceptual art projects into the public realm.
Hewson works to prove we can, in fact, do things that are considered untenable in a public setting. Each project aims to catalyse fresh conversation about how the bureaucratic and managerial aspects of power are shaping our public lives, asking if we like that shape or if we’d like to explore other freer options.
Installation view, Mike Hewson, The Key's Under The Mat, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney (4 October 2025 – 23 August 2026)
Installation view, Mike Hewson, Coal Loader Palm Grove, 2026, Sydney Fish Market, Blackwattle Bay
Installation view, Mike Hewson, Rocks On Wheels, 2022, Southbank, Melbourne
Installation view, Mike Hewson, St Peters Fences, 2020, Simpson Park, St Peters
Mike Hewson Coal Loader Palm Grove
Sydney Fish Markets, 2026
Mike Hewson The Key's Under The Mat
Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 2025-26
MIKE HEWSON
Born 1985, New Zealand
Lives in Sydney, Australia
Visual Arts MFA, Columbia University, New York
Bachelor of Engineering (Civil, First Class Honours), University of Canterbury
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
The Key's Under the Mat, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, AU
Geopets, Lett Thomas Gallery, Sydney Contemporary, AU
Fountains, Lett Thomas Gallery, Tāmaki Makaurau, NZ
Stud Flight, Blue Oyster, Dunedin, NZ
Flip-Flop, Alaska Projects, Sydney, AU
Polymorphia, Firstdraft Gallery, Sydney, AU
Under Standing Loss, 45 Downstairs, Melbourne, AU
Fallen 3, Alexis Fine Arts Gallery, Christchurch, NZ
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
A Good Idea, Tin Sheds, Sydney, AU
(Un)Conditional IV, The Physics Room, NZ
MFA Thesis Exhibition, Fisher Landau Centre, New York
Fl0ating P0int, Judith Charles Gallery, New York
MFA First Year Show, Wallach Art Gallery, NY
Alaska X DP, Dog Park, Christchurch, NZ
Breathing Room, MOP, Sydney, AU
Firstdraft After Dark, Firstdraft, Art Month Sydney, AU
COMMISSIONS
Coal Loader Palm Grove, Sydney Fish Markets, Infrastructure NSW, AU
Hack Hoops, SCAPE Public Art, Christchurch, NZ
Rocks On Wheels, Southbank, City of Melbourne, AU
Pockets Park, Leichhardt, Inner West Council, AU
St Peters Fences, St Peters, Inner West Council, AU
Lawson Poole Block Stack, City of Casey, AU
Illawarra Placed Landscape, City of Wollongong, AU
Pushkin Square, Markaff, Moscow, RU
125th St Broadway, Harlem, US
Un-PACE-d, Christchurch, NZ
Of-Fences Port Hedland, Port Hedland, AU
Skybridge, Christchurch City Council, NZ
Prop Hide, Christchurch City Council, NZ
IT HOLDS UP, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney, AU
Government Life Suspension, Christchurch, NZ
Old Public Toilets, Christchurch, NZ
Unwin’s Stage 1 & 2, SHFA, Sydney, AU
Homage To The Lost Spaces, Christchurch, NZ
AWARDS
Winner, AILA National Award of Excellence
Winner, Playspace Of The Year, Parks and Leisure National
Winner, Playspace Of The Year, Parks and Leisure NSW & ACT
Finalist, NAB Emerging Artist, Art Month Sydney
Winner ‘Best Artist’, FBi SMAC Awards, Sydney
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Olivia Collinson, 'Under Construction,' Current Art Magazine, Issue 02, pp.10-22
Anastasia Parmson, 'Art as Playgrounds: Mike Hewson on Infrastructure, Risk & Responsibility,' The Installation Art Podcast, 21 April
Emily Wong, 'Are we overprotecting play? | Mike Hewson,' Landscape Australia, 13 April
Sanné Mestrom, 'Visual art – News, Research and Analysis,' The Conversation, 27 October
Richard Mockler, 'Mike Hewson creates controversial children's playgrounds,' ABC News, 19 October
Gina Fairley, 'Mike Hewson's The Key's Under the Mat review: arty playground is joyous and chaotic,' ArtsHub, 15 October
Michelle Wang, 'Beneath the Art Gallery of NSW, artist Mike Hewson has created a summer wonderland – BYO sausages and swimmers,' The Guardian, 4 October
Robert Moran, 'Sausage sizzles and saunas: Is this the year's most controversial art show?,' Sydney Morning Herald, 4 September
Justin Paton, 'Mike Hewson alphabet,' Art News Aotearoa, 1 April 2024
Jonathan Seidler, 'The Sublime Structures Of Mike Hewson,' Esquire Australia, 3 March
Danielle Jewson, 'What does the future city look like? Next question,' Architecture Australia / AILA Victoria, 3 January
Jay Landers, '‘Risk play park’ requires innovative engineering in Australia,' ASCE Online, 3 April
David Neustein, 'Slide and the family stone: Mike Hewson,' The Monthly, 1 April 2023
Rosemary Forde, 'Rocks on Wheels and Flying Shoes,' Contemporary Hum, 30 March
Bede Brennan, 'Discovery and daring: Rocks on Wheels,' Landscape Australia, 19 March
M Dunn & Kim Hill, 'Mike Hewson: engineer turned artist on his new "risk playground",' Radio New Zealand, @9:05’, 18 March
Nick Selenitsch, 'Art + Play,' Art + Edit Magazine, 13 March
Mimi Kirk, 'The Playground That Looks Like a Construction Site (On Purpose),' Bloomberg CityLAB, 5 February
Rupert Bickersteth, 'Mike Hewson installs giant boulders on wheels for "risk play" space in Melbourne,' Dezeen, 4 January
Susie Ferguson, 'Mike Hewson: the fine art of taking risks,' Radio New Zealand, 3 December
Breakfast Show, 'Artist Mike Hewson's playground projects,' TV1 New Zealand, 22 November
Kate Hennessy, '‘You can’t escape danger’: the artist making ‘risky’ playgrounds – and splitting opinions,' The Guardian, 14 November
Madi Chwasta, 'Meet Mike Hewson, the artist behind Melbourne's risky playground,' ABC News, 9 November
Sanné Mestrom, 'This new ‘risky’ playground is a work of art – and a place for kids to escape their mollycoddling parents,' The Conversation, 9 November
Virginia Trioli, 'Interview: Mike Hewson on Southbank's Rocks on Wheels,' ABC Radio Melbourne, 7 November
Sophie Aubury, 'The fine line between risk and danger at Southbank's new playground,' The Age, 7 November
Glen Humphries, '‘Palm tree up a pole’ artist mystified by His Boy Elroy campaign,' Illawarra Mercury, 7 November
TEDx Sydney, 'Playing with risk: The dangers of thinking safe,' TEDx, 2022
Kate Hennessy, 'The structural art of Mike Hewson,' New York Times Style Magazine, 11 June
James Valentine, 'Inner-west playground causing division,' ABC Radio Sydney, 15 March
A Current Affair, 'Leichhardt's controversial new playground sparks safety debate,' 9Now, 12 March
S. McPhee & D. White, 'Parents divided over new "risk positive" playground at Pioneers Memorial Park,' Sydney Morning Herald, 11 February
Megan Rowe, 'Wollongong's public art sparks local discussion,' Illawarra Mercury, 6 January
Eloise Fuss, 'Interview: Mike Hewson on public art and community space,' ABC The Mix, 19 October
Westconnex, 'New community art installation unveiled in St Peters,' Nine News, 27 September
David Cross, 'Unfettered actions: Sportification, playgrounds and public art,' Artlink, 25 August
Kate McIlwain, 'Controversial Wollongong public artwork features uprooted palm trees,' Illawarra Mercury, 21 April
Eli Diner, 'Bobby Jesus Launches Post-American Fine Arts, a New Gallery Project in Sydney,' Cultured Magazine, 17 March
Nicole Frost, 'Australia's public spaces at risk of becoming dull and repetitive, New York-based artist warns,' Domain, 6 May
Editorial Desk, 'Landscape Australia Conference, Sydney May 2018,' Landscape Australia, 26 April
Emily Wong, 'New public artwork brings local landscape into Wollongong mall,' Landscape Australia, 24 April
K McIlwain, 'I'm going out on a limb in support of the Crown Street Mall palm tree,' Illawarra Mercury, 14 November
K McIlwain, 'New Zealand artist Mike Hewson selected to transform Crown Street Mall,' Illawarra Mercury, 11 November
N Galvin, 'Building on shifting foundations,' Sydney Morning Herald, Arts, p.20, 2 August
C Gates, 'Artist elevates broken city's viewpoint,' The Press (Fairfax, NZ), p.4, 25 January
C Moore, 'An upside-down perspective on heritage,' The Press (Fairfax, NZ), GO p.7, 8 June
- About
- Subscribe
