SCULPTURE BY THE SEA
27 Oct 2016
Demonstrating the power of art in public spaces in bringing in visitors and stirring the local economy, Sculpture by the Sea is currently celebrating its 20th year along the Sydney coastline.
Stretching across 2km from Bondi Beach to Tamarama Beach, the annual Sculpture by the Sea exhibition is a public art festival welcomed by Sydneysiders and international visitors alike, and serves as a great example of the power of art in public spaces to bring in visitors and generate interest in ‘destination’ exhibitions.
“Sculpture by the Sea is the largest annual sculpture exhibition in the world and is a focal point on Sydney’s cultural calendar,” says Mayor of Waverley, Cr Sally Betts.
“This amazing exhibition continues to transform Waverley’s beautiful coastline into a magnificent display of sculptures by artists from all over the world. It is an experience which takes us on an emotive and tactile journey that evokes feelings, gives hope and makes us laugh.”
Currently underway in Sydney, the 20th annual Sculpture by the Sea exhibition welcomes 103 artists from 17 countries around the world – 35 of whom are exhibiting for the first time. First established in 1997, this public art exhibition is a long standing tradition in the east coast city and will be exhibiting its 2000th sculpture this year on the Bondi coastal walk.
Reaching a 20 year milestone is a feat for any public art exhibition, and what makes it even more amazing is the that Sculpture by the Sea continues to thrive each year despite a lack of funding. Private donors and corporate sponsors make up around half of the funding for this internationally recognised and publicly enjoyed art exhibition. With little to no government funding – despite the goodwill generated for tourism by the half a million visitors to this magnificent part of the world – the balance of the exhibition’s means come from donations, sales from sculptures and merchandise, and the like.
“Sydney is rightly proud of Sculpture by the Sea and what it has done for this city’s cultural and community life,” claims Andrew Bell SC, Event Chairman.
Part of the attraction for the artists that participate in the exhibition, in addition to the public exposure for their work, is the continuing tradition of gifting a sculpture for permanent public placement within Sydney. Sponsored this year by Aqualand, the $60,000 Aqualand Sculpture Award will be gifted to one talented artist from the exhibition and will see their sculpture become a permanent part of Sydney’s landscape.
“The iconic location, the Bondi to Tamarama foreshore, is a unique canvas on which to showcase not only the art, but also one of Sydney’s most popular tourist sites,” says Jin Lin, Managing Director of Aqualand.
Despite rough weather conditions in June, and unexpected destructive swells at Tamarama Beach just this week, which damaged some of the exhibition entries, Sculpture by the Sea continues to forge ahead undaunted. The exhibition is open for public consumption from 20 October to 6 November 2016.
Images (top to bottom): Cave Urban, The Golden Hour; Angelika Summa, Alien - Self-Consciousness is a Virus from Outer Space; Koichi Ishino, Mountains Air – Circles; Oliver Stretton-Pow, Infrastructure 5; Norton Flavel, Fluid.
