Parramatta has officially launched its newest artwork – a 7.5 metre tall First Nations sculpture that honours the history of the eel in the city.
It will be impossible for visitors to miss the newest public artwork to arrive in Parramatta Square, tiled ‘Where Eels Lie Down’.
Made up of grey granite stone and hot pink aluminium panels, the large scale sculpture depicts two eels rising from the ground and crossing over each other as they play.
Created by Kamilaroi artist Reko Rennie, the artwork will glow at night, with the eels to come alive in blue light.
Rennie, an interdisciplinary artist who explores his Aboriginal identity through contemporary media, said he appreciated the opportunity to create the artwork on Dharug land.
“I feel honoured to have been given this significant opportunity to create work on Dharug country – a work that pays homage to both the historical and present-day use of the Burramattagal,” he said.
“I hope it becomes a marker for the City of Parramatta as a place where people can come together to share stories and experiences.”
More than 20 people worked to design, fabricate and install the artwork over an 18 month period, including boilermakers, fabricators, painters and engineers.
City of Parramatta Lord Mayor Sameer Pandey welcomed the new sculpture to the city centre.
“The name of our beautiful city, Parramatta, is derived from the Dharug word Barramada meaning ‘where eels lie down’,” he said.
“This incredible public artwork is a celebration of the significant history of Aboriginal culture here and the Dharug connection to the eel and Parramatta River.
“This sculpture serves as a reminder to everyone who passes through Parramatta Square of our city’s rich and diverse history and our bright future.”
‘Where Eels Lie Down’ is one of two artworks chosen for the $2.7 billion Parramatta Square precinct following a competitive worldwide selection process. An independent panel chose from more than 110 submissions, including from international artists based in the US, Japan and Spain.
The first artwork, ‘Place of the Eels’ by Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro, was unveiled last year in September. The sculpture is an eight-metre tall replica of the 1960s Leyland Worldmaster bus used by the Parramatta Eels rugby league team to hold meetings in during the 1980s.
It encapsulates the moments and people from Parramatta’s history, including the story of Rosie Bint Broheen, one of the first Lebanese women to purchase property in Parramatta in 1922.
Ellie Busby is a news reporter for Western Sydney Publishing Group. A graduate of the University of Hertfordshire and Western Sydney University, she is a journalism Major. Ellie has worked with Universal Media, The Cova Project and for a range of other organisations. In 2024, Ellie was named Young Writer of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.