There are numerous artworks on permanent public display in Western Australia. This list include only works of

public art Public art is art in any media whose form, function and meaning are created for the general public through a public process. It is a specific art genre with its own professional and critical discourse. Public art is visually and physically acce ...

accessible in an outdoor public space; it does not include artwork on display inside a museum. Most of the works mentioned are sculptures, although several notable memorials are listed also. Public art may include statues, sculptures,

monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, hist ...

s, memorials,

mural A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spani ...

s and

mosaic A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...

s. In 1989 the Western Australian state government established a "

Percent for Art The term percent for art refers to a program, often a city ordinance, where a fee, usually some percentage of the project cost, is placed on large scale development projects in order to fund and install public art. The details of such programs va ...

" policy. The scheme which enacts the policy is administered by the

Department of Culture and the Arts The Department of Culture and the Arts was part of the Government of Western Australia. Preceding authorities The earlier governmental agencies or authorities concerning the arts were advisory boards or councils; it was not until 1986 that the ...

and requires that up to one percent of the construction budget for new public works over $2,000,000, be expended on public artwork. The Town of Vincent was the first Local government authority to have a similar scheme. It requires that "commercial, non-residential, and/or mixed residential/commercial developments over $1,000,000 are to set aside a minimum of one per cent of the estimated total project cost for the development to be used for public artworks." Over 700 works have been installed under the state government scheme since 1989.

Perth CBD

Includes public artworks in the

Perth CBD Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

. Excludes the Northbridge precinct and the

Perth Cultural Centre The Perth Cultural Centre is an area of central Perth, Western Australia, near the James Street Mall. It is home to a number of cultural institutions including the Art Gallery of Western Australia, Western Australian Museum, State Library o ...

, Kings Park,

East Perth East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...

and Claisebrook Cove.

Northbridge/Perth Cultural Centre

Public artworks in the Northbridge precinct and around

East Perth and Claisebrook Cove

Since the late 1980s, a major urban renewal project surrounding Claisebrook Cove has been underway, with abandoned industrial sites levelled and replaced with residential streetscapes and landscaped waterfronts. These have been interspersed with a good collection of public art.

Kings Park

The following list includes public artworks in Kings Park which is located on the outskirts of the Perth CBD. Kings Park was established as a public park in 1872 and contains a varied collection of public artworks ranging from early 20th century war monuments to life-sized

dinosaur Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...

models. It is said to contain "more memorials, statues and honour avenues than any other park in Australia".

South Perth

Public artworks within the

City of South Perth The City of South Perth is a local government area in the inner southern suburbs of the Western Australian capital city of Perth about south of Perth's central business district. The City covers an area of , maintains of roads and a lit ...

Fremantle

Public artworks within the

City of Fremantle The City of Fremantle is a local government area in the south of Perth, Western Australia. The City covers an area of , and lies about southwest of the Perth central business district. History The City of Fremantle is named after Charles Fr ...

Other metropolitan

Public artworks in the

Perth metropolitan area The Perth metropolitan region or the Perth metropolitan area is the administrative area and geographical extent of the Western Australian capital city of Perth and its conurbation. It generally includes the coastal strip from Two Rocks in t ...

and outside the Perth CBD and Kings Park.

Regional

Includes artworks in Western Australian country and regional centres.

Notes

External links

Slideshows of Perth public sculptures (including many not in the list) and classic architecture – 400 pictures of sculptures
{{DEFAULTSORT:Public art in Western Australia Lists of buildings and structures in Western Australia

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

Culture of Western Australia Public art in Western Australia Lists of tourist attractions in Western Australia