Art, Country and Community come together for Dennis Golding: On the Foreshore, MCA Australia’s new C3West project in collaboration with Bayside Council.

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.

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.

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.

About C3West 

C3West is one of the MCA’s flagship programs. It brings artists and communities together to develop collaborative projects that respond to local concerns in Greater Sydney. Working with partner organisations and businesses, C3West supports artist‑led models of engagement that produce meaningful social outcomes.

About Bayside Council 

Located in the heart of Sydney, Bayside comprises 29 suburbs including Bexley, Kingsgrove and Carlton in the west; Banksmeadow, Hillsdale, Pagewood, Daceyville and Rosebery in the east; Wolli Creek and Turrella in the north; and Rockdale, Mascot, Botany, Sydney Airport and Port Botany, down to the coastal communities of Brighton Le Sands, Ramsgate, Dolls Point and Sandringham in the south.

The area surrounds Kamay/Botany Bay with eight kilometres of beaches and parklands, and includes significant wetlands home to native flora and fauna. As the logistics core of NSW, Bayside hosts Sydney Airport and Port Botany – two major international transport hubs driving economic activity, trade and innovation.

About the Artist 

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.

Project Team 

• Dennis Golding, Artist

• Pedro de Almeida, Senior Curator C3West, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia

• Patrick Cremin, Arts and Culture Specialist, Bayside Council

• Matt Roden, Manager Creative Learning, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia
• Anna Phillips, Impact and Evaluation Coordinator, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia

Presented by the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia in partnership with Bayside Council, Dennis Golding: On the Foreshore is on view until 12 June 2026.

The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA Australia) presents, collects and engages with the art of our time. Guided by the principles of belonging, connection and influence, we aim to be the defining platform for contemporary art and ideas in Australia and beyond. Located on Sydney Harbour at Tallawoladah, a home to stories, art and culture for over 65,000 years, we connect the widest possible public to contemporary art through exhibitions, events, creative learning and access programs. Our evolving Collection of over 4,700 artworks is the only public collection in Australia dedicated to the work of living artists, with over a third represented by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists. As an independent, not-for-profit organisation, MCA Australia raises over 80% of its revenue each year through donations and commercial activities to deliver its artistic and engagement programs.