SYDNEY.- The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia is presenting Dennis Golding: On the Foreshore, a new contemporary art project created in collaboration with Kamilaroi/Gamilaraay/Biripi artist Dennis Golding and young people from the Bayside area.

This work is the MCA’s 25th C3West project and marks its first expansion into Greater Sydney. Kamay Botany Bay is a place of unique importance – the site of first contact, and a continued meeting ground for diverse communities.

Positioned prominently on the foreshores of Kamay Botany Bay, the project features a large-scale, digitally printed installation that wraps four stacked shipping containers, creating a stunning, striking visual landmark against the bay’s waters and headlands. The unique designs have been co-created by Dennis and local young people, influenced by the area and their experience of Country, identity and place.

A collaboration with local young people

Young people from Bayside participated in artist-led workshops, creating drawings and paintings that explored the things that ground them - food, plant life, gatherings, family, sound and shared experiences. These motifs are woven throughout Golding’s final design, alongside the symbolic movement of water. The project introduced participants to pathways in the creative industries while deepening their understanding of the Bayside landscape and its layered histories.

Reflecting on the project, Dennis Golding said ‘In Kamay Botany Bay, the water strikes rock and port structures, rebounding with layered movements. It’s a natural rhythm recognised by all who swim, fish and gather here. The design of the artwork carries the voices of First Nations and culturally diverse young people who have made these shores sanctuaries and meeting grounds. The rebound wave in the work holds stories. It pushes back with the strength of those who live here, care for Country and belong here.’

On the Foreshore reflects C3West’s commitment to connecting artists with communities to create projects that respond directly to local issues, histories and aspirations across Western Sydney – and now to Greater Sydney. C3West works with organisations and businesses to identify areas of need, supporting artist-led, socially engaged projects that foster genuine collaboration.

Suzanne Cotter, Director, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia: 'MCA Australia is committed to supporting artists in shaping meaningful exchanges with communities across Sydney. C3West's On the Foreshore brings this commitment to life by connecting young people in Bayside with the First Nations knowledge, creativity and generosity of artist Dennis Golding. We are proud to be working with Bayside Council to realise a project that gives concrete expression to the role of art in fostering connection, learning and cultural strength.'

Bayside Mayor Edward McDougall: ‘This innovative collaboration with the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia has allowed us to engage with local youth in a creative way to deliver a meaningful public art project for the community. I would like to thank all Bayside young people who actively contributed to the development of this monumental First Nations public artwork that is a terrific focal point for Bayside’s expanding arts and culture landscape.’

Bayside’s arts and cultural sector has grown rapidly in recent years – from ceramics collectives in Botany and Turrella to filmmaking groups in Carlton and artists’ studios across Kogarah and Rockdale. As a region emerging as a dynamic creative hub, Bayside is a fitting home for this significant new collaboration. On the Foreshore aims to nurture the next generation of cultural practitioners by providing hands-on experience in contemporary artmaking and community-led creative practice.

Dennis Golding is a Kamilaroi/Gamilaraay/Biripi artist from north‑west NSW, born and raised on Gadigal Land in Redfern, Sydney. He also has ancestral ties to Biripi Country on the mid-north coast of NSW.

An artist who makes paintings, videos, installations and photographic work, Golding critiques social, political and cultural representations of race and identity, drawing on experiences of urban life and childhood memories. Growing up in the Aboriginal community known as ‘The Block,’ he was surrounded by the creative practices of his mother and grandmother, whose painting significantly influenced his early development.

Golding graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) from UNSW Art & Design in 2019. His work has been presented at major institutions including the Art Gallery of South Australia, the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney Living Museums and Carriageworks. He was awarded the 2020 Create NSW Visual Arts Fellowship and co-founded the Re-Right Collective with Carmen Glynn‑Braun. Through his practice, Golding presents powerful representations of contemporary Aboriginal cultural identity, informed by lived experience and ancestral knowledge.