A NEW hot-air balloon sculpture Skywhalepapa was launched just after dawn this morning (February 7).

Skywhalepapa is the companion balloon to artist Patricia Piccinini’s controversial Skywhale, which was commissioned for the Centenary of Canberra in 2013.

The wind and weather was unsuitable for the balloons to fly, so they were tethered near the National Gallery.

The gallery’s $1.3 million performative exhibition project will have the skywhales attempt to take to the skies twice more, before heading off on a two-year national tour and then possibly to international destinations, which are currently in negotiation.

Due to COVID-19 protocols, a limited 2000 tickets were available to witness the inflation of both balloons.

National Gallery director Nick Mitzevich, who commissioned Piccinini to create a second hot-air balloon sculpture, said Skywhalepapa and Skywhale, which became part of the national collection in 2019, were the perfect examples of art in the 21st century.

“This is about taking art to the people – you can literally look up in the sky and see the skywhales flying by,” he said. “Audiences don’t need to go to a gallery to see the skywhales – this is art that is accessible and democratic.”

The two other flights are scheduled for March 8 and April 3.