The Art Gallery of New South Wales showcased Mike Hewson’s unconventional installation, The Key’s Under the Mat, which repurposed an old oil tank into an interactive art park featuring a smoking road-plate barbecue, a working sauna, a steam room, a Hills Hoist, monkey bars, a DJ booth, and seating to blend public infrastructure with art.

The show drew diverse audiences, from families and teenagers to notable visitors like former AFL star Adam Goodes, reaching people who might not engage with a traditional gallery experience.

Behind the scenes, the project navigated structural engineering, building codes, and liability considerations, with the gallery backing the bold vision and planning to dismantle or reconfigure components for future iterations; several pieces have already been acquired or sold for reuse by the gallery, private buyers, or local councils.

Gallery leadership, including chief curator Justin Paton, described the work as both playground and art, arguing it expands access and reimagines public space by embedding tactile, social, and surprising elements into the environment.

The installation drew record crowds, with attendance surpassing 620,000 by closure, making it the gallery’s most attended free exhibition and a Tank record, even though entry was free and did not generate gallery revenue.

Hewson designed the space to feel inhabitable and owned, with a prominent sculptural floor and a campus-like piazza, inviting visitors to ride toys, barbecue, and sauna, creating a shared, non-traditional gallery experience.