Making Art Public

In 1969, at the invitation of John Kaldor, New York–based artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude created the largest single artwork that had ever been made. Shrouding one million square feet of Little Bay with fabric and rope, Wrapped Coast was a groundbreaking piece of public art that propelled Sydney into the international art scene and left an indelible mark on Australian culture. On the fiftieth anniversary of Wrapped Coast, Kaldor Public Art Projects, the first organisation of its kind anywhere in the world, celebrates half a century of bringing leading contemporary artists and their works to Australian audiences.

Making Art Public draws on the extensive Kaldor Public Art Projects Archive to chart the history of the art projects. Revealing never before seen material, this comprehensive publication examines each of the thirty-five projects from inception to realisation. With artist’s drawings and sketches, research documentation, plans and correspondence, Making Art Public provides the reader with insight into how complex public art projects are brought to life.

Acclaimed international curator Hans Ulrich Obrist interviews all the project artists, creating a portrait of public art. The artists open up about their process and intention, their successes and failures, dreams and utopias. Award-winning Australian author David Malouf looks back over five decades of Kaldor projects and considers how these artists have changed the very fabric of our public spaces, remaking the story of our cities.

The book also celebrates Making Art Public the exhibition, the 35th Kaldor Public Art Project, created by British artist Michael Landy and presented by the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney. The exhibition is both an archival representation and artistic response to the history of the projects, and the book catalogues the exhibition, its public programs and new commissions with Australian contemporary artists.

With personal recollections from John Kaldor’s life in art, Making Art Public traces an unparalleled history of public art, a story of international significance grounded in Australia.

With contributions from Nicholas Baume, Nicholas Chambers, Rebecca Coates, Ross Gibson, Ross Rudesch Harley, Michael Landy, David Malouf, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Emily Sullivan.