Cronulla’s Newest “Masterpiece”: Half Built North Cronulla Surf Club to be Unveiled as Bold Artistic Statement

Imogen Fairchild | Arts & Culture Editor | Sutherland Shire Gazette

20 March 2025

In a stunning display of civic ingenuity (or sheer exhaustion), the Shire Council has announced that the long-stalled North Cronulla Surf Life Saving Club (NCSLC) redevelopment will no longer be completed - instead, it will be celebrated. The unfinished structure, abandoned by builders in January 2024, is set to be rebranded as a large-scale art installation titled Perpetual Pending: A Meditation on Waiting.

“We are fully embracing the Theory of Constraints,” said the project manager, wiping sweat from his brow. “The delays, the roadblocks, the lack of progress—it’s all part of a larger artistic vision now. The real obstacle was ever believing we’d finish it.”

To give the project an air of cultural credibility, the council has drawn inspiration from Berlin’s famous art squats, where abandoned buildings became makeshift creative hubs. While Berlin’s scene was born from rebellion and subversion, Cronulla’s version has come about through budget blowouts and unreturned emails. “It’s very European,” said one councillor, gazing wistfully at the exposed scaffolding.

The grand opening will be led by acclaimed Dutch conceptual artist Lars van den Boek, best known for Untitled (Pile of Bricks). His performance piece, Waiting for a Permit, will see him sit motionless in a plastic chair for six hours, symbolising the average approval time for council paperwork.

Local reactions range from bafflement to quiet acceptance. “I suppose it’s… different,” said one longtime surf club member. “But I’d still rather have a roof over the change rooms.”

With an official plaque already in production, one thing is clear—whether by accident or design, Cronulla has just gained its most ambitious (and least functional) cultural landmark.