Anchorball: A Curious Art Journey at the Royal Botanical Gardens This Summer

If you’re looking for something fun to do in the GTA this summer then check out Anchorball: A Curious Art Journey by artist Ken Kelleher in Hendrie Park at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington. The outdoor exhibition features 18 large pop art sculptures and is fun for all ages!

Ken Kelleher aka Anchorball is a contemporary large scale sculpture artist known for the monumental public artworks that he has created worldwide. The RBG exhibition introduces visitors to Anchorball’s evolving fictional universe, known as Low Orbit City, populated by playful and mythical characters.

June 20 – September 20, 2026

Hendrie Park

There are 18 vibrantly coloured and whimsical Anchorball sculptures (as part of four series) located around the gardens of Hendrie Park. These playful characters and creatures are part of the fictional universe of Low Orbit City which according to the artist’s website is “a floating city in the sky, carried on a slow-moving cloud layer just above the altitude where weather loses its certainty. It exists in low orbit — not far enough to be space, not close enough to be grounded – hovering between night and day, between what’s real and what’s almost real. It doesn’t always exist in the same place. And most people never see it.”

Summer is the perfect time to enjoy a lovely stroll around the gardens to see all of the sculptures as well as the seasonal blooms. We spent about an hour and a half in Hendrie Park, had a quick peak around the Mediterranean Gardens indoors at the RBG Centre and then headed down the road to visit the RBG Rock Garden. I always love the exhibitions at the Royal Botanical Gardens but Anchorball is definitely a favourite – it’s a joyful, colourful experience that is fun for all ages!

At the entrance to Hendrie Park from the RBG Centre, you will find Willie and Winky who are two of the Core Characters in the Low Orbit City universe. The other Core Characters can be found around the gardens along with the sculptures in the additional three series – Venus Florealis, Flower and Tulip Dancers.

Low Orbit City Core Characters include: Bunni B Danny, Jelly Mochi, Quantum Leap, Willy and Winky.

I loved all of the sculptures but my favourites were the four in the Venus Florealis series.

The Venus Florealis series includes: Bloom Ascendant, Bubblegum Girl, First Light and The Verdant Oracle.

The Flower Series includes: Hue Shine, Kung Pao, Mystiflora, Petal Nova and Spire Blossom.

And finally the Tulip Dancers series which includes: Blue, Orange, Purple, and Red.

In addition to the physical installations around the gardens, there is an augmented reality component to the exhibition. There are several markers scattered throughout the gardens without a visible sculpture where visitors can scan the QR code using their phone and a character (Dreambloom, Dreamweaver, Moki, Tommy Bearcloud, TXIX, and Yabba Bearcloud) will appear.

Indoors at the RBG Centre

There are a couple of small black and white sculptures indoors at the RBG Garden Shop, in the Breezeway and the Mediterranean Garden. The gift shop has a selection of Anchorball merchandise available to purchase for anyone who wants to take home a souvenir to remember their visit.