Now in its 22nd edition, the Sculpture by the Sea exhibition at Sydney’s Bondi Beach turns one of Australia’s most iconic stretches of coastline into a huge outdoor sculpture park, showcasing the wares of artists from all around the world. Let’s take a look at some of the weird and wacky creations to wash up at this year’s event.
Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi began in 1997 as a single-day event run by volunteers, and is now billed as the world’s largest annual free outdoor sculpture exhibition. Opened over the weekend, this year’s rendition saw 107 sculptures dot Sydney’s famous coastline over 2 km (1.2 miles), between Bondi and Tamarama beaches.
Certainly one of the most eye-catching is a nude, jumbo-sized character measuring three meters tall (10 ft), seen in the image at the top. Dubbed Horizon, the work is one of eight in this year’s exhibit crafted by alumni from China’s Central Academy of Art, and certainly cuts a commanding figure seated at the southern end of Bondi Beach.
Other installations include similarly oversized figurines, such as a five-meter tall (16.4 ft) bronze walking man, large stones recreated as mirrored and colorful perspex and a large wind turbine made with sandstone and aluminum.
All sculptures are in the running for a AU$70,000 grand prize, to be revealed in the coming weeks, with the exhibition running until Sunday November 4. Jump into the gallery to see some of the highlights.
Sculpture by the Sea exhibit dots Australian coastline with the weird and otherworldly [New Atlas]