Transurban Art Portal
Acknowledgement of Country — Transurban would like to acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we have built our roads and our public art and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.
We extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and invite everyone to share, be proud and be empowered by their culture.
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Time Tunnel

by Mistery & Mikey Freedom

Arinya Underpass, Kingsgrove

Time Tunnel by Mistery & Mikey Freedom

03:42

The colour also speaks to it being inviting so as to create spaces that people might have been hesitant but now feel a bit more at peace and at ease. The imagery encourages people to think about the history and the future of this area. It’s there for everybody.

Local street artists Matthew Peet (aka Mistery) and Michael Lothian (aka Mikey Freedom) were commissioned nearly two decades ago to paint an underpass mural for Linear Park, Kingsgrove. The artist team is re-commissioned for Canal to Creek: The M8 Public Art Program to install a new large-scale painting in Arinya underpass, bringing a contemporary perspective to the parkland. This time, Mistery and Mikey Freedom are making a bigger and bolder statement across the architecture of the tunnel, the artwork literally pouring out of the underpass.

The work does two things: plays with depth and perspective, creating an optical illusion when viewed from certain vantage points. This multi-dimensional space encourages the audience to enter the work. It also depicts key buildings from past, present and future Kingsgrove, documenting the changing urban landscape and transformations in place and culture.

Headshot of the artist Mistery & Mikey Freedom

Mistery & Mikey Freedom

Sydney, Australia

Mistery's Instagram

Mikey's Instagram

Website

Local street artists Matthew Peet (aka Mistery) and Michael Lothian (aka Mikey Freedom) have been creating independently for a long time.

Time Tunnel by Mistery & Mikey Freedom

00:52

Mistery is an enigma. A graffiti writer, comic artist & Hip-Hop practitioner via emceeing & breaking, he isn't merely limited to just that. With a master’s degree in fine arts he also explores the mediums of sculpture, video & installation to create artworks with a variety of influences & themes aimed, at creating experiences & provoking thought.

Mikey Freedom has been painting murals for a number of decades. He is an artist with a versatile style, having a penchant for colour & a love for line. He rocks everything from oils to collage, drawing to graffiti & murals to design. Caught between a love for Jazz, Surfing & Hip Hop, he draws his own line.

Concept

      Installation

          Thumbnail image of artwork titled The Four Graces by Deborah Halpern
          Previous artwork The Four Graces Deborah Halpern
          Thumbnail image of artwork titled Butu Wargun by Jason Wing
          Next artwork Butu Wargun Jason Wing

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          Acknowledgement of Country — WestConnex would like to acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we have built WestConnex and our public art and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging. We extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and invite everyone to share, be proud and be empowered by their culture.

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          Virtual education platform for one of
          Australia’s largest public art programs

          The Transurban Public Art Program - Canal to Creek includes 21 signature artworks that have activated new and existing parklands between St Peters and Beverly Hills. Artworks include contemporary sculpture, artist-designed playgrounds, large-scale murals, a writers walk and an immersive lighting installation.

          Named ‘Canal to Creek’ after the waterways that connect the art sites, each work is a site-specific exploration of the relationship between people and place.

          Alexandra Canal defines the eastern end of the program and Wolli Creek, the western end. Both are part of the same water system that is linked by the Cooks River and Botany Bay. The role of the natural environment on our experience of place is a recurring theme for Canal to Creek artists. In some way, all of the eighteen artists pick up on a cultural thread that supports local identity and belonging. 

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          Movement of Shells, Movement of Time

          Marilyn Russell and her mother, Aunty Esme Timbery

          The WestConnex M4-M5 Link Tunnels project team (Acciona Samsung Bouygues Joint Venture) collaborated with Bidjigal artist Esme Timbery, one of Australia's most significant shell artists, and her daughter Marilyn Russell to design the façade of the ventilation facility to be built at St Peters. This is expected to be completed by 2023.

          The design aims to create an educational piece for the local community; it presents a story of creativity and history. Through the use of colour and modern fabrication, a traditional expression is kept alive with a contemporary flair for future generations of Sydney to enjoy. The artwork celebrates the culturally significant shell making tradition that is unique to the Sydney Indigenous community of La Perouse.

          Aunt Esme and Marilyn

          Linear Park

          The M5 Linear Park is comprised of parklands that border the M5 East corridor from King Georges Road Interchange to Bexley Road at Bexley North.

          In February 2021 Transport for NSW completed the Linear Park Enhancement Project which delivered complimentary gym equipment and amenities to these existing parklands to develop the recreational needs of the community. Upgrades have included new transport links, outdoor play and fitness equipment, new seating, tables and drinking fountains as well as sporting fields and courts.

          This program was run simultaneously to the WestConnex Public Art Program and the parklands now hosts several of the public art installations from Canal to Creek in the suburbs of Beverley Hills and Kingsgrove.

          Read more

          St Peters

          As part of the WestConnex M8, a new above ground interchange has been built in St Peters. The site was transformed from a contaminated landfill into a future-proofed state-of-the-art above ground motorway network with important connections to future projects linking to the airport, southern Sydney and a second harbour tunnel crossing.

          Building St Peters Interchange was the catalyst for the remediation of the contaminated Alexandria Landfill site which has now been transformed into accessible public space for the first time in decades. Approximately 400,000m³ of waste has been treated, capped, and safely retained on site allowing for the sustainable delivery of more than 6-hectares of accessible green space including 650,000 new trees, shrubs and bushes.

          The new green space is also the home to many of the public art installations from the WestConnex Public Art Program – Canal to Creek.

          Read more

          Westconnex M8

          The WestConnex M8 is the longest continual tunnel in Australia and was opened to motorists on 5 July 2020. The M8 is stage two of the wider WestConnex network and will be linked with the M4 via the M4-M5 Link Tunnels, currently under construction.

          Read more
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          Entries for the 2022 Canal to Creek Prize have now closed. To view entries please visit the gallery

          Launch prize intro

          Criteria

          Overview of Eligibility criteria

          Canal to Creek Prize art competition criteria: only year 7-10 can apply, artwork must be original, artwork can be 2D or 3D, any materials can be used, please submit 1-3 photos of artwork plus an artist statement

          • The Transurban Art Prize is open to high school students from Years 7 to 10 in NSW.

          • Artworks must be original and respond to the Transurban Art Prize 2024 theme, ‘Connections’.

          • Artworks can be two-dimensional or three-dimensional (e.g. paintings, sculptures, digital).
          • Any art material or combination of materials may be used.
          • Artworks to be submitted in a JPG or PNG file, at least 1500 pixels wide.
          • Artworks must have the ability to be digitally reproduced by Transurban for promotional purposes.
          • Entries will need a title and an accompanying artist statement, limited to 100 words. Your statement should include why you have decided to create this piece of art and what inspired you.

          Read full terms and conditions

          Tips for taking photos of your work

          Your Transurban Art Prize entry will require at least one photo of your artwork. Here are some handy tips to best help capture your masterpiece.

          Transurban Art Prize competition tips on taking photos of your work: Avoid shadows by making sure your artwork is lit evenly, fill the frame with as much of your artwork as possible, make sure there are no people in the photos of your artwork

          Prizes

          Prizes per year group

          There are fabulous prizes to be won for the first, second and third place in each Year group (Years 7 – 10), as well as an overall school winner. Prizes for each category will be as follows:

          Prizes for the Canal to Creek Prize art competition: 1st place iPad tablet, 2nd place $250 Eckersleys Art and Craft voucher, 3rd place $150 Eckersleys Art and Craft voucher

          School winner

          One school will be selected for the overall school Prize of a $5,000 Eckersley’s arts grant. This is based on the volume and calibre of entries received from the school.

          Display of winners

          Each winning artwork will be framed and displayed at one of Transurban’s motorway control centres or offices. To honour and congratulate the Prize winners, an awards ceremony will be held later in the year. The winners in each Year group will be invited to celebrate their award-winning artworks and will be congratulated with a decorative trophy on the day.

          How to submit

          Entries open

          11 June

          Entries close

          13 Sep

          Winners announced

          11 Oct

          How to enter

          • From June 11, click the ‘enter now’ tab and upload your artwork.
          • Your artwork must be submitted in a JPG or PNG file and needs to be at least 1500 pixels wide (up to 5MB/ each: jpg, png, gif).
          • You also need to submit an artist statement which is limited to 100 words.
          • If your artwork is shortlisted, you may be asked to send through a higher quality file.
          • A virtual interactive gallery will be created to showcase all successful entries which will be available for the public to see. For privacy reasons, only your first name and school will be published.

          Downloads

          A3 Poster DL Flyer

          Judges

          Judging process

          Entries to the Transurban Art Prize will be judged by a local Sydney artist, a representative from the Visual Arts and Design Educators Association and Transurban’s Group Executive of NSW. Meet them below!

          Artworks will be judged based on artistic merit, creativity, and fit within the theme.

          Judging panel

          Canal to Creek Prize art competition judge: Aaron Landers

          Aaron Landers

          Aaron Landers is a senior Visual Arts and Design teacher and has held several executive positions at Visual Arts and Design Educators Association (VADEA). Aaron is currently the Co President at VADEA and is passionate about contemporary art, especially Photo-media, Public Art and Sculpture.

          Canal to Creek Prize art competition judge: Carla Hananiah

          Carla Hananiah

          Carla Hananiah is a landscape painter who lives and works in Sydney. Carla holds a Master of Fine Arts through Research from the University of New South Wales. She has exhibited throughout Australia and is the recipient of multiple prizes including the Mosman Art Prize Viewer’s Choice Award (2012), the Hornsby Art Prize (2011), the Blake Prize Society’s John Coburn Emerging Artist Award (2011) and the Winsor & Newton Start your Studio Scholarship (2009).

          Canal to Creek Prize art competition judge: Nicole Green

          Nicole Green

          Nicky Green has been with Transurban since 2022 and has recently been appointed as Group Executive, Australian Markets. She joined as Group General Counsel and has played an integral role in some of our biggest projects. Nicky has a passion for art and is excited to see the many ways the theme of connections is interpreted and the different approaches used to bring this theme to life.

          Canal to creek art prize

          Register your interest

          Register your interest here to receive all the latest news and information on the Canal to Creek Prize competition.

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