The inaugural installation of public artworks at Shellharbour Airport are those of award-winning artist Anna Glynn. Photo: Shellharbour City Council.
Travellers passing through Shellharbour Airport can now expect more than boarding calls and baggage checks, with the terminal transformed into a gallery space for the first time.
Award-winning Illawarra artist Anna Glynn is inaugurating the airport’s new cultural chapter with South Coast Myths & Tales, a free exhibition turning the transport hub into an unexpected showcase of South Coast storytelling and imagination.
Open until 21 April, the airport’s first art exhibition involves early works, autobiographical pieces and imagined art from the 1990s to 2010s that have been inspired by the South Coast.
Presented by Shellharbour City Council and Glynn, the exhibition will be housed inside the terminal, and will be free, fully accessible, and open to everyone.
Shellharbour City Mayor Chris Homer said the exhibition was a significant step forward in celebrating the city’s creative identity.
“This is an exciting first for our city,” Cr Homer said.
“Installing artworks at Shellharbour Airport creates a warm and uniquely local welcome for travellers, and highlights the creativity that defines our region.
“Whether catching a flight, grabbing a coffee at the cafe, or dropping by specifically to explore the exhibition, visitors can now enjoy a new cultural experience at Shellharbour Airport, free of charge.”
Throughout the terminal, Glynn’s works trace a vivid South Coast journey, from the Bundanon Series, where theatrical characters of the local bush appear in stunning colour, across to the playful Squid Juggling on Jervis Bay, a lively self‑portrait full of spray and sky.
Fauna, imagined and real, features in Sussex Inlet and Kangaroo Valley Myth.
Further inside the terminal, the tone deepens with Shoalhaven Drowning and Drowning Bundanon, two reflective river scenes inviting a quiet pause among memories, water and loss.
Together, the works aim to turn the airport into an unexpected trail of humour, history and imagination.
Alongside a long list of accolades and projects, this year Glynn was selected as a finalist in the biennial Alice Prize and will undertake a major commission for Marriott International & Emirates Group in Australia.
Glynn’s work spans painting, drawing, installation, moving image, sound and sculpture, and has been shown in multiple exhibitions and in collections at numerous public galleries.
Anna Glynn’s South Coast Myths & Tales is now open at Shellharbour Airport, Airport Road, Albion Park Rail until 21 April. An official opening will be held on 4 March at 6 pm. Open hours for the exhibition are Monday to Friday from 8 am – 4 pm, and Sunday 11 am – 7 pm.
