Two decades of Sculpture by the Sea

Each year for the past 20, one of Perth’s most iconic beaches has provided an ideal setting to celebrate the work of local and international artists.

The renowned Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe exhibition has attracted thousands of local, interstate and international visitors to Western Australia over that time.

The number of participants during the event’s history is staggering, with a total 592 artists from 44 countries having created 1,298 sculptures.

Founder David Handley said some artists had used their exposure at Sculpture by the Sea as a springboard to launch their careers, while established local artists relished the opportunity to have their work displayed on the same stage as international artists.

“You’ve got artists who were children when they first came to Sculpture by the Sea and ended up making a career for themselves as artists … and wanted to be in the event,” Mr Handley told Business News.

“For a number of senior artists it was an opportunity to be in an international show in their hometown without having to make their sculptures overseas, which was a big deal.

“It also meant they had the opportunity to see their works exhibited alongside international artists.

“It’s important for WA artists to have local people see their sculptures in that international context in their hometown. That’s rare in the sculpture world, let alone in Australia.”

Lifeblood by Johannes Pannekoek. Photo: Jessica Wyld

Johannes Pannekoek launched his art career through Sculpture by the Sea.

This year, he won the $30,000 Hancock Prospecting and Roy Hill sculpture award.

Mr Pannekoek’s sculpture, Lifeblood, marked his ninth year entering the outdoor exhibition and was inspired by the movement of winding rivers and curving shapes within nature.

His artwork is designed to inspire reverence and reflect the responsibility humans have to protect the lifeblood of our planet’s natural ecosystems.

Mr Handley noted that Mr Pannekoek won the $60,000 Aqualand sculpture award at Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi in 2016, illustrating the opportunities for emerging artists.

“[H]e’s now the only artist to win the major award in both the Cottesloe and Bondi show [and] he’s now rightly regarded as a leading sculptor in Australia,” Mr Handley said.

Sculpture by the Sea opens access to an international arts world that is often difficult to break into from WA, regardless of whether an artist is a creative veteran or making their debut.

“If we look back at the last century, for Australian artists to get international exposure to meet and work alongside international artists, they had to go overseas,” Mr Handley said.

“When an artist goes into Sculpture by the Sea for the first time, as long as they show up to the various events, they’ll finish the exhibition … with an international and national network.”

In addition to networking opportunities, Sculpture by the Sea has helped deliver financial support for many artists.

“Over the past twenty years, WA artists have received $4.26 million in proceeds from the sale of their sculptures at Sculpture by the Sea, and $1.05 million in artist awards or subsidies,” Mr Handley said.

“That’s over $5.3 million put into local arts and doesn’t include income WA artists have made from the Bondi show.”

Since Sculpture by the Sea’s inception, Mr Handley said sculpture sale commissions of $7.2 million and private donations and corporate sponsorships of $10.6 million had contributed towards staging the event.

“The Cottesloe exhibition is about a $3 million show each year and we’re still under-resourced for what we achieve,” he said.

“[E]ven though we’ve struggled to find sufficient money to put on the exhibition … we’ve nevertheless raised quite a lot of money locally.

“It’s hard for artists to be in an exhibition without funds and we look for ways to excite government, corporate, philanthropic partners to get involved and get behind one or more artists.”

Alcoa is a founding sponsor of Sculpture by the Sea, funding the $5,000 Alcoa Aluminium award annually to recognise the use of aluminium in art.

This year’s winner was Perth artist Denise Pepper for her sculpture Women Wear Trousers.

“Alcoa has been with us since year one and that relationship has evolved in the twenty years of the exhibition with the aluminium material on display in the sculptures to show its versatility and resilience,” Mr Handley said.

“Alcoa has sponsored our schools program since year one too. We’ve had nearly 40,000 students come through that program.

“That’s a huge impact on the culture of WA.”

Sharyn Egan’s Balga sculptures in Sculpture by the Sea 2023. Photo: Jessica Wyld

In light of the 20th anniversary, Sculpture by the Sea collaborated with Tourism WA to elevate the recognition of Indigenous Australian arts and showcase local Aboriginal culture to national and international visitors.

Noongar artist Sharyn Egan, who was selected to be the invited Aboriginal artist as part of the Aboriginal Artistic Program, delivered a series of workshops for public and school groups.

The workshops involved Ms Egan teaching traditional weaving techniques to participants to create the woven fronds for her Balga sculptures.

She also worked with Guildford Grammar School students to create the first trees leading up to the launch of Sculpture by the Sea 2024.

Ms Egan said Tourism WA’s joint program with Sculpture by the Sea encouraged collaboration.

“This [was] a really nice opportunity to work with young Indigenous students and Noongar elders to create an artwork that welcomes members of the wider community to participate in the creation of the sculpture, which will be enjoyed during the day and as the sun sets over Wadjemup [Rottnest Island],” Ms Egan said.

The final sculpture was called Balga Boola – Bigsmob Balga and was Ms Egan’s sixth year exhibiting at Sculpture by the Sea.