SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA.- Over 100 sculptures from Australia and around the world transform Sydney’s Bondi to Tamarama coastal walk into a spectacular free to the public outdoor gallery, from 28 October to 14 November. The poetic, fanciful, monumental and unexpected sit alongside each other against the stunning backdrop of the Tasman Sea, in what is the largest exhibition of its kind in the world. Over 600 international artist submissions from 30 different countries were received by organizers this year, with the final exhibition chosen by the Curatorial Panel, Bronwen Colman and Bert Flugelman.

Exhibition Director David Handley says, “This year’s show represents the expansion of the Australian sculpture scene with many new sculptors exhibiting for the first time, while also being an indication of Sculpture by the Sea’s growing international reputation.”

The sculptures on show range from Stephen King’s moving wooden man and child; Philip Spelman’s colourful and colossal abstract metal shapes; emerging star Alex Seton’s carved marble illusions; and Bjorn Goodwin’s giant pair of sunglasses adorning Tamarama Beach. With 21 overseas artists exhibiting, this year’s show is the most international to date. Their works include leading Czech sculptor Václav Fiala’s geometrical monument created over 2 weeks on Stephen King’s Walcha property; 6 Japanese sculptures, including the sublime geometrical granite twists of Keizo Ushio who returns for his sixth straight year; and English artist Anthony Heywood’s Broken Family of elephants made from found objects, that children big and small will love.

New this year are BBQ by the Sea on weekend days; the Kodak ‘Share’ Marquees in which visitors can print their favourite digital exhibition images for free; an opportunity to support the local native plant regeneration scheme by donating in Jane Summers’ Sculpt the Future ‘piggy bank’ sculpture; and the increase of the Sydney Water Sculpture Prize to $25,000. Last year’s exhibition attracted some 300,000 visitors. This year’s crowd will be able to take in the coastal walk alongside the longest work in Sculpture by the Sea to date, a 1.3km installation by this year’s youngest artist, 9 year-old Lola Giuffré.

Each annual Sculpture by the Sea exhibition is selected by a Curatorial Panel, invited by the exhibition’s Board. Bronwen Colman is the Director of the Melbourne Dockland’s Public Art Program. With responsibility for major public art commissions, Bronwen also works on the development of a master plan and policy to guide the commissioning of integrated art by developers over a 15 to 20 year timeframe. Bert Flugelman is one of Australia’s most well-known sculptors who has been exhibiting since 1954 in many solo and group exhibitions nationally and abroad. Born in Austria and arriving in Australia in 1938, Bert studied at the National Arts School and has traveled and worked in England, Europe and the USA. Represented in a large number of public collections in Australia and in private collections across the world, in 1997 Bert was awarded the Emeritus Award by the Australia Council and in 1995 was awarded a Doctorate of Creative Art (Honoris Causa) at the University of Wollongong. Many of Bert’s sculptures occupy a significant place in the history of Australian sculpture including his stainless steel work commissioned for Sydney’s Martin Place that is now at the bottom of Spring Street.