The skies over Ballarat will be filled with enormous hot air balloon sculptures known as Skywhales as part of the Ballarat Winter Festival.
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The sculptures are the works of renowned artist Patricia Piccinini and have drawn large crowds at other launches across the country.
Piccinini created the first hot air sculpture Skywhale in 2013 and added Skywhalepapa and the babies in 2020 to create the Skywhale family.
Art Gallery of Ballarat director Louise Tegart said she could not resist the chance to bring the Skywhales to Ballarat on July 9 as part of their Every Heart Sings tour and the Ballarat Winter Festival.
"Patricia Piccinini is one of Australia's most highly regarded contemporary artists and we are delighted to bring her work to Ballarat," she said.
"The messages of the Skywhales - compassion, kindness, love, care and responsibility - are particularly pertinent in the times we are living in.
"I hope the people of Ballarat come out to experience this unique artwork and celebrate this incredible artist's imagination."
The launch site has not yet been confirmed but the two massive balloons will float up in to the skies over central Ballarat in the early morning.
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"The point of this work is that care is something that belongs to all of us. Care should not be gendered. Care is not a human thing. Care is something we can all share and it is the carers who are the heroes of our community," Ms Tegart said.
Anyone interested in attending the launch can register on the Art Gallery of Ballarat website artgalleryofballarat.com.au for updates.
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