Speculation or humanity's certain future? Thinking about which of those two options best fits MIRRORSCAPE is part of the experience of viewing Théo Mercier's latest work. The end of the world has arrived at Mona. Where a library once sat, sand and water has been shaped into a debris-strewn post-disaster landscape. It's all in the name of art, of course — Dark Mofo is still on the calendar for 2025; after becoming the first museum in the world to receive Wu-Tang Clan's rare Once Upon a Time in Shaolin album on loan earlier in 2024, the Tasmanian gallery hasn't dropped the mic and said goodbye — but as the piece's title makes plain, MIRRORSCAPE just might be a reflection of what's to come. Making his Australian debut, French artist Mercier has moulded 80 tonnes of Tasmanian sand into a vision of life overrun by catastrophe — and as it displays for 12 months, his giant sand sculpture will keep changing. First announced in late 2024, when it was initially called DARK TOURISM, the artwork was unveiled on Saturday, February 15, 2025. It'll show Monday, February 16, 2026, and the sand within it will do what sand does over that period: erode. "The earth shuffles and trembles. It is a collection of catastrophes and its surface bears witness to the natural and political changes — and cataclysms — that pass through it," explains Mercier about the piece. "In this work, devastation finds itself petrified in the stone, as if we opened a mountain here in Tasmania and discovered the great fossil of a disaster. We don't know whether this would have happened in the past or if it's a foreshadowing of the near future." "MIRRORSCAPE is a conflict suspended in time, quarantined inside a panoramic cell that recalls the scientific laboratory or a vivarium. It is something to be studied at a distance." Featuring sandy recreations of old utes, other upturned vehicles, mattresses, cushions, clothing, bricks pipes and much more, MIRRORSCAPE undeniably looks like the aftermath of the worst occurring, and unsurprisingly makes a statement about planet's changing climate — plus humanity's role in it, and in natural disasters. "Crafted entirely from Tasmanian sand, Théo's work is a reflection of the fragile and temporary nature of the world around us, and of life itself," notes Mona Curator Sarah Wallace. "I hope visitors will be drawn in by the intricate detail in this captivating installation, while considering the questions he raises about our ecological predicament." The piece originated from a trip to the Apple Isle by the artist. "When Théo was last in Hobart he said he was 'going for a walk'. He walked to the top of kunanyi. He's back, and he'll be doing something just as mad at Mona," added Mona Owner and Founder David Walsh. Given how it'll change over the course of 12 months, you won't want to see MIRRORSCAPE just once — if you can fit in two trips to Mona between now and February 2026. MIRRORSCAPE is on display at Mona, 655 Main Road, Berriedale, Tasmania until Monday, February 16, 2026. Head to the venue's website for more information. Images: Mona/Jesse Hunniford. Courtesy of the artist and the Museum of Old and New Art, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.