Game, Set, Match: David Shrigley’s Tennis Ball Exchange Arrives in Fremantle
June 2025: 10,000 fluorescent yellow tennis balls will line the gallery walls of the Walyalup Fremantle Arts Centre this August as part of The Walyalup Fremantle Tennis Ball Exchange, an interactive exhibition by internationally acclaimed British artist David Shrigley.
Audiences are invited to become part of the artwork by bringing their own tennis ball – scuffed, chewed, grungy or graffitied – to exchange with one of the fresh balls on the nearly 1km of shelving inside the Walyalup Fremantle Arts Centre. The result is a playful, participatory art experience from one of the UK’s most recognisable contemporary artists. Participants are rewarded with a pin badge decorated with the exhibition title, in Shrigley’s distinctive handwriting (limited to the first 3,000 participants).
British artist, David Shrigley OBE, is internationally acclaimed for his distinctive and darkly comic style, using humour to highlight the absurdities of everyday life. He has published more than 40 books, and was a finalist in the 2013 Turner Prize following his critically acclaimed retrospective Brain Activity, as well as being selected for the Fourth Plinth Commission in London’s Trafalgar Square in 2016, one of the UK’s most high-profile public art commissions.
Toying with notions of commerce and community, the installation interrupts expectations of a gallery context. Visitors are encouraged to return throughout the exhibition’s run to see how the installation evolves, each ball carrying with it a unique story or mark of its past life. It’s a living work shaped by the public – equal parts sculpture, performance, and community archive.
Abigail Moncrieff, Curator and Collections Lead at Walyalup Fremantle Arts Centre is excited to welcome people into the gallery in a new and playful way.
“David Shrigley’s joyful work invites everyone to get involved and see the work transform with their contribution, which is a perfect fit for Fremantle. We’re delighted to be presenting work by renowned artist David Shrigley that is accessible, humorous and uniquely community-driven.”
The Walyalup Fremantle Tennis Ball Exchange is a satellite exhibition for Fremantle Festival: 10 Nights in Port, open at the Walyalup Fremantle Arts Centre daily from 10AM until 5PM, between Monday, 4 August to 7 September.
Beyond the exhibition, families are invited to a Ball Hunt in the Walyalup Fremantle Arts Centre grounds from 10am – 12pm, on Sunday 10 August. Alongside the Ball Hunt will be totem tennis, kids entertainment and more.
For more information visit https://wfac.org.au/whats-on/post/david-shrigley-tennis-ball-exchange/
ENDS
For information, interviews & images:
Alice Hamilton
Detail Marketing Communications
alice@detail.com.au
0415 576 577
