Anchorball: A Curious Art Journey is a major outdoor contemporary art exhibition taking place at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington. Running from June 20 to September 20, 2026, the experience transforms Hendrie Park into a vibrant landscape of large-scale sculpture, interactive storytelling, and digital discovery.

Created by artist Ken Kelleher, the exhibition blends physical artworks with augmented reality elements, inviting visitors to explore a playful and imaginative world embedded within the gardens. The experience is included with general Garden Admission or RBG Membership, making it accessible throughout the summer season.

A Garden Transformed by Art

Set within Hendrie Park, the exhibition features 18 monumental sculptures that reach up to 12 feet in height. Each piece is designed as part of a broader narrative universe, encouraging visitors to move through the landscape and encounter characters and scenes that feel both surreal and familiar.

The gardens themselves become part of the artwork, with pathways, plantings, and natural features integrated into the experience. Visitors can explore at their own pace, discovering new visual details as they move between installations spread across the grounds.

Immersive Augmented Reality Experience

A defining feature of Anchorball: A Curious Art Journey is its layered digital component. Using a smartphone, visitors can unlock augmented reality interactions hidden throughout the exhibition.

These AR elements introduce additional characters and storylines that extend beyond the physical sculptures. As guests locate and interact with these digital features, they gradually uncover a larger narrative world that culminates in a final AR reveal, offering a deeper level of engagement with the artwork.

This combination of real-world sculpture and digital storytelling creates a multi-sensory experience designed for exploration, curiosity, and discovery.

Artistic Vision and Creative Themes

The exhibition reflects Ken Kelleher’s broader creative practice, which focuses on building interconnected visual worlds through sculpture and character design. His work often combines bold colour, exaggerated forms, and imaginative storytelling, resulting in installations that feel both playful and cinematic.

Anchorball: A Curious Art Journey continues this approach on a large scale, bringing together art, technology, and landscape design. The result is an environment where nature and contemporary sculpture coexist, encouraging visitors to rethink how art can be experienced in outdoor public spaces.

Visitor Experience and Planning Your Visit

Visitors can access the exhibition daily during regular garden hours, typically from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with last entry before closing. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended, as the experience involves exploring multiple areas of Hendrie Park.

Because the exhibition is outdoors, it is best enjoyed in favourable weather conditions. Guests are encouraged to allow extra time to fully experience both the physical sculptures and the interactive AR elements.

Anchorball: A Curious Art Journey offers a unique opportunity to engage with large-scale contemporary art in a natural setting, combining creativity, technology, and landscape in one of Ontario’s most celebrated botanical destinations.