Anya Gallaccio commissioned to create a print for the Government Art Collection as recipient of the 2025 Robson Orr TenTen Award.

Each year, an outstanding British artist is commissioned to create a unique, limited edition print as part of the TenTen project, supported by Sybil Robson Orr and Matthew Orr.

Gallaccio’s new print, eight hours of whale song (2025), is inspired by the artist’s long-held fascination with the communication system of whales and the pioneering work of the 19th-century Welsh singer Margaret Watts Hughes. Created by playing recorded whale song through a tonoscope with pigment laid on top, the image that emerged became the basis for a print using relief and pyrogravure processes, made and editioned at Dundee Contemporary Arts Print Studio.

The artwork speaks powerfully to the ecological crisis and the critical role of diplomacy in addressing it, and editions of the work, each of which is unique, will be going on display in government buildings across the world.

Proceeds from sales of 11 prints will be used to acquire works from artists under-represented in the Government Art Collection.

Anya Gallaccio
eight hours of whale song, 2025
pyrogravure and relief print on Fabriano Rosaspina Bianco 280gsm
47.5 x 44 cm.
18 3/4 x 17 1/4 in.
edition of 30
£3,500 + VAT (unframed)

The edition will be on view at Frieze London, 15–19 October (Thomas Dane Gallery, Stand A13). For more information and to enquire about purchasing a print, please contact Phoebe Roberts: phoebe@thomasdanegallery.com.