Erstwhile matriarch of Canberra, Skywhale, is about to take to the skies again with her other half, Skywhalepapa — but not in the ACT.

The National Gallery of Australia has partnered with venues around the country to bring Patricia Piccinini’s hyperreal hot air-balloon sculptures to Goulburn Regional Art Gallery, Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, Horizon/Caloundra Regional Gallery, Albany and Northam WA, and Townsville.

The slow inflation of the balloons, with cold air, then hot, allows the sculptures to rise from the ground and come to life so that when fully inflated, weather permitting, they’ll take to the skies together in a 90-minute sunrise experience for the regions.

The tour follows the NGA’s 2022–23 venture Skywhales: Every Heart Sings, which saw the sculptures visit communities across the country including Alice Springs, Adelaide and Cairns.

Gallery director Nick Mitzevich believes that though touring initiatives such as Skywhales Across Australia, they can “connect with all Australians and elevate the role art can play in our lives.’

Skywhales Across Australia 2024-25 starts in Goulburn on February 22.