Overview
- The billion-dollar Powerhouse Parramatta opens to the public this weekend with five free exhibitions and a sold-out launch program expected to draw more than 20,000 visitors.
- Organisers are running a 23-day opening festival of talks, performances and workshops with about 65 percent of events offered free to the public to boost access for Western Sydney residents.
- Long-time director Lisa Havilah stood aside in late August while investigations examine allegations of poor governance and procurement, and Abbie Galvin is serving as interim chief executive.
- Signature works include Overflow, a First Nations-led commission developed with NSW communities and filmmaker Ivan Sen that invites visitors to wade in a reflective pool, and Es Devlin’s The Turning, her first Australian exhibition.
- Supporters say the venue represents Sydney’s largest cultural infrastructure project since the Opera House and could shift arts activity westward, but the ongoing inquiries could shape future leadership, spending and community trust.