Alumni mural program
The UNSW Library Alumni mural program is a series of site-specific public artworks by UNSW alumni created for the lift foyers of the UNSW Main Library. This series is part of a broader strategy within UNSW Library to enrich the student experience by embedding art and culture throughout the Library.
This commission series invites UNSW alumni to create a new temporary artwork which responds to the site of the Library lift foyers as a place of transition - a gateway to knowledge, information and learning, as well as collaboration and relaxation. Artists are selected for their artistic excellence and whose practices reflect the ideas and concerns at the forefront of contemporary consciousness; First Nations history and culture, the natural environment, migration, geopolitics and a more inclusive society.
With these ideas in mind, this project seeks to enhance the student experience of UNSW Library as a welcoming space with distinct spatial identities, fostering a personal connection with the Library. This commission series highlights the important role the Library plays within the University as a site of learning and community, celebrates the diversity of the student population and reflects the innovation and excellence of UNSW graduates.
Current murals
Make or Break
From December 2023 to December 2026
Main Library, Level 6 lift foyer
In Cover Crush, Make or Break (Connie Anthes and Bec Gallo) have spot-lit books found side-by-side on UNSW Library shelves, creating relations that are provocative, humorous, and poetic.
Abdullah M. I. Syed
From September 2023 to September 2026
Main Library, Level 7 lift foyer
Abdullah M. I. Syed’s Chahār Bāgh: Garden of Knowledge combines South Asian miniature painting, wood-block printing, calligraphy, and gilding to invite visitors to contemplate and seek knowledge.
Past murals
Louise Zhang
From December 2019 to December 2023
Main Library, Level 2 lift foyer
Louise Zhang's Waves of chrysanthemums is rich in Chinese and Western symbolism; larger-than-life chrysanthemums overlay a fantastical imagined landscape of rising suns and raining liquid forms in rich and seductive colours.
Lisa Sammut
From December 2019 to December 2023
Main Library, Level 3 lift foyer
Lisa Sammut's Waiting room embodies the curiosity and sense of possibility of the cosmos, echoing the spheres and stars, constellations and planetary bodies that make up the night sky.