sculpture by the sea returns to bondi beach as the world’s largest open-air exhibition. the free to public show which transforms the spectacular coastal walk into a 2km sculptural park attracted over half a million visitors last year featuring work by artists from australia and across the world. last year designboom reported on many of those show’s entries and below is a preview of those on display in 2017.



karl meyer, foci (2017), image © c yee

the exhibit, which has been running since 1997, celebrates its 21st birthday this year. the idea was the product of sculpture by the sea founder, david handley, who was motivated to create a major free public art event. ‘while running away from the corporate world and living in Prague in the early 1990’s I was taken to an outdoor sculpture park’, explains handley. ‘I had my first experience of the power, if not majesty, of sculpture. from here my thoughts for the ‘event’ I might one day put on began to turn to sculpture.’



karl meyer, ‘foci’ (2017), image © c yee

the show which invites artists to install sculptural works along the shoreline runs for three weeks, oct 9-nov 5, during australia’s springtime. the exhibition showcases works specifically designed to interact with their surroundings including abstract pieces that frame sunset views, figures splayed on coastal rocks and a boat ‘washed up’ to shore.



britt mikkelsen, ‘ocean lace’ (2015), image © c yee



stephen marr, ‘under one sky’ (2017), image © jessica wyld



stephen marr, ‘under one sky’ (2017), image © a sky



james dive, ‘what a tasty looking burger’ (2017), © c yee



elyssa sykes-smith, ‘stagnation’ (2017), image © jessica wyld



harrie fasher, ‘the last charge’ (2017), image © jessica wyld



harrie fasher, ‘the last charge’ (2017), image © jessica wyld



joen petri, ‘space’ (2017), image © c yee



winner, david ball, ‘orb’ (2017), image © jessica wyld



simon hodgson, ‘melencolia’ (2017), image © c yee



xia hang, ‘rangerer’ (2017), image © c yee



lucy barker, ‘sea through’ (2017), image © jessica wyld



faith semiz, ‘curious dream of an architect’ (2017), image © jessica wyld



kathy allam, ‘plastic paradise’ (2017), image © g carr



linon meagher, ‘look out for me’ (2017), image © c yee



yoshio nitta, ‘i put a moon on the table but it has a hole and is lacking’ (2017), image © jessica wyld



sonia payes, ‘littoral echo’ (2017), image © c yee



testsuro yamasaki, ‘circle on the earth’ (2017), image © jessica wyld



tango conway and amelia skelton, ‘white wash’ (2017), image © g carr



jock clutterbuck, ‘song of the alsors’ (2017), image © g carr



by april pine, image © jessica wyld



orest keywan, ‘bronze age’ (2o17), image © c yee



small ocean collaboration with jeremy sheehan, ‘rise and fall’ (2017), image © jessica wyld



denis pepper, ‘leaden hearts’ (2017), image © jessica wyld