Edwina Green named recipient of the First Nations Playable Public Art Sculpture Commission

Edwina Green, babanh-u laangi-yuyuk-a (Mother of Pearl), concrete and stainless steel, 2025, Aberfeldie. Photo: Timothy Burgess.

Edwina Green named recipient of the First Nations Playable Public Art Sculpture Commission

Incinerator Gallery, Moonee Valley City Council, and Agency are proud to announce Edwina Green, a Trawlwoolway multidisciplinary artist based in Naarm, as the recipient of the First Nations Playable Public Art Sculpture Commission.

Edwina’s new playable sculpture will be temporarily installed at Incinerator Gallery as part of The Playground Project Melbourne, an international exhibition exploring the role of play in public space. The exhibition runs from 28 June to 12 October 2025, with the sculpture installed from September.

This major public art commission invited proposals from artists and collectives responding to themes of childhood, play, togetherness, and renewal, while honouring the cultural and environmental significance of the Maribyrnong River to Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung First Peoples for over 40,000 years. Shortlisted artists included Aunty Kim Waldin and Chris Joy, Iluka Sax-Williams, and Robert Michael Young.

Edwina’s concept was selected by a panel of six arts industry leaders for its artistic and technical merit, strong connection to place, and recognition of children as cultural citizens. Her design is both playable and conceptually rich. As Myles Russell-Cook, Artistic Director and CEO of ACCA, explains: “The abstracted oyster form allows the sculpture to tell the story of the health and history of these lands and waterways. It carries an indelible commitment to fostering the knowledge embedded within Aboriginal custodianship of Country. Her work builds on the significance of this place to all people, but especially young ones—its past, its present, and its future.”

On the announcement, Edwina shared, “I’m incredibly honoured and excited to bring this sculpture to life. Creating a work that invites children to play, imagine, and connect with Country is something I hope to continue to embed in my practice. This commission has allowed me to honour the cultural significance of the Maribyrnong River, which has held me for most of my life, while contributing something joyful, grounding, and enduring to public spaces. I can't wait to watch how little ones engage with my work.”

The first public presentation of Edwina’s concept will take place on Friday 4 July, as part of the Incinerator x MADA Talk Series: Art & Play, in conversation with panel member and Agency project partner, Leila Gurruwiwi.

In 2026, the sculpture will be permanently relocated to the Maribyrnong River Trail in Aberfeldie on Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Country. Subscribe to Incinerator Gallery's eNews to stay up to date with the project.

Concept design by Edwina Green, prepared by Lump Studio

Concept design by Edwina Green, prepared by Lump Studio.
Note: Image is indicative and not the final design.

Artist bio

Edwina Green

Edwina Green is a Trawlwoolway First Nations multidisciplinary artist based in Naarm (Melbourne, Australia) Her practice explores perception, historical re-framing, cultural reclamation, and the post-colonial impact on people and place. Graduating from The University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, she has exhibited extensively across Australia and internationally. Her sculptural works often integrate organic materials, reflecting deep ecological and cultural connections. Green’s practice is driven by the intersection of materiality and storytelling, transforming spaces into immersive experiences that bring ancestral knowledge into the present. Through her practice, she explores the ongoing connection between First Nations culture and the spaces we inhabit today.

Selection panel

Jefa Greenaway RAIA MDIA AILA (Affiliate)

Jefa Greenaway is a founding Director of Greenaway Architects (est. 1998), an Adjunct Industry Fellow at Swinburne University, an Honorary Fellow of Design at Deakin University and is a registered architect in NSW, ACT and Victoria. Current/recent projects include the UTS National First Nations College, winner 2024 WAFX Cultural Identity awards, the Garma Institute in North East Arnhem Land, the Koorie Heritage Trust at Federation Square and Yaitya Ngutu Wardli at the University of SA, Adelaide. He was a 2020 Design Institute of Australia’s ‘Hall of Fame’ inductee, signifying an outstanding contribution to Australian design. In addition, he was named in the 'Qantas 100 Inspiring Australians' and received the 2023 INDE.Award special prize 'the Luminary' recognising excellence in a career in design which celebrates industry icons.

Leila Gurruwiwi

Leila Gurruwiwi is the Cultural Liaison and Public Programs Lead at Agency. She is a multi-talented individual with a diverse range of skills and expertise. She is a proud Yolŋu woman, originally from Galiwinku on Elcho Island in North East Arnhem Land, NT. Leila has called the lands of the Kulin Nation and Victoria home since she was very young. She has deep rooted connections to Dja Dja Wurrung Country having grown up in Bendigo as well as familial ties to Taungurung and Wamba Wamba Country through her extended adopted Koorie family.

Maya Hodge

Maya Hodge is a Lardil curator and writer passionate about First Peoples storytelling through arts and editorial projects grounded in community values, sisterhood, and care.

Myles Russell-Cooke

Myles Russell-Cooke commenced in the role of Artistic Director & CEO of ACCA in 2024 and was formerly Senior Curator of Australian and First Nations Art at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV). Myles has a long-standing interest in cultural, gender and sexual diversity within both Australian and International contemporary practice, and has worked across a broad range of exhibitions and projects. For over eight years Myles was one of a team of curators who oversaw major contemporary art exhibitions at the National Gallery of Victoria, including NGV Triennial, and Melbourne Now.

Wurundjeri Council - Aunty Gail Smith and Aunty Julieanne Axford

Aunty Gail Smith and Aunty Julieanne Axford are Traditional Owners and Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Elders. Respected community leaders, they provide cultural guidance and consultation to Moonee Valley City Council, supporting the recognition and continuation of Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung culture and heritage.

Presented in partnership with Agency.

Funded by Victoria State Government's Emergency Recovery Hubs Grant and Moonee Valley City Council.