The Guardians is an immersive, inflatable artwork featuring towering beacons that celebrate the beauty and diversity of Australian wildflowers. With vibrant, abstract designs, these structures create a striking presence, transforming into a magical landscape when illuminated from within.

Artwork from The Guardians was also be projected on to the building.

About the artwork

Making its debut at the National Library, The Guardians was created by artist Matthew Aberline in collaboration with The Beautiful and Useful Studio. The artwork ranges from smaller, two-metre-tall forms to massive hexagonal structures soaring four metres high and spanning eight metres in circumference, blending monumentality with invitation.

Due to building works and scaffolding at the front of the Library building during the festival period, our Enlighten programming looked a little different this year. The decision was made to reduce our usual programming activity and instead support an artist by facilitating the installation of The Guardians.