Sydney Modern Project Opening Celebrations to Run for 9 Days

Sydney Modern Art Project
Photo Credit: Sydney Modern Project/Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa/Art Gallery of New South Wales

A nine-day celebration will be underway for the long-awaited opening of the Sydney Modern Project, which transforms the iconic Art Gallery of New South Wales into a modern art museum and leisure space near Surry Hills.



Beginning Saturday, the 3rd of December 2022, the Sydney Modern Project will run free events like art exhibitions, music and performances, film screenings, guided tours, and enriching talks or forums to celebrate the completion of the new facilities meant to become Sydney’s newest landmark. 

The highlight of the celebration includes a concert by Grammy-nominated international pop star Ellie Goulding, alongside Australian talents like Meg Mac and Electric Fields. Over at Woolloomooloo Bay, a nightly drone show created by Kamilaroi artist Reko Rennie will leave the public in awe.

Sydney locals may plan which events they should attend by checking the different activities from 3 to 11 December. All these activities do not require pre-bookings, as guests may walk in, attend or participate. 

The new art gallery, on the other hand, will be open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. during this nine-day celebration. Entry is free and tickets are not required. 

Costing $344 million to complete, the Sydney Modern Project, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architects SANAA and built by Richard Crookes Constructions, is dubbed the “most significant cultural development in the city since the opening of the Sydney Opera House nearly half a century ago.”



Over $100 million of the funding was made possible through private donors whilst the NSW Government supported the rest of the project’s cost for  Infrastructure NSW. 

The new building will connect to the existing Art Gallery of New South Wales by a land bridge, which has an outdoor public art garden and the best views of Sydney.