What to see at Sculpture by the Sea

‍

‍

Summer may officially be over but our beloved Sculpture by the Sea is back to quell those autumn woes. Head over to Cottesloe Beach for a visual feast of 72 sculptures, from the breathtaking to the Insta-worthy to the outright weird.

An international affair

In its 14th year, Sculpture by the Sea officially launched on Friday 2 March and will reside on our shores until Monday 19 March. So you have a week left to view this seaside exhibition. It may be an ode to everything we love about Perth - the beaches, the sunsets, the local talent - but it’s simultaneously a celebration of artists from all over the world. Of the 77 exhibiting artists, 28 are from WA, 15 are from interstate, and the remaining 33 hail from 18 different countries, from Singapore to Slovakia. Not bad for Perth, right?

‍

This year’s VIP

This year’s special guest invited by Tourism WA is Zhan Wang from China. Wang’s impressive ‘Floating Rock’ is - you guessed it - a two metre high and four metre wide stainless steel rock floating on the water.

This is the latest installation in Wang’s acclaimed ‘Artificial Rocks’ series which he began in 1995. Fun fact: ‘Floating Rock’ is the first of his floating sculptures to be anchored to the sea floor, rather than being left to float where the tides take them.

Our top picks

Contemporary art is reliably kooky (we all remember last year’s giant goon bag), so browse with a programme in hand or create your own meanings. Regardless of your artistic cred, it’s impossible to deny the spectacle of artworks such as B. Jane Cowie’s ‘Swirling Surround’, a steel and ARTglass cyclone of fish suspended in the air, and Tania Spencer’s ‘Rosie’, lace forms and fine threads imagined in steel.

Don’t forget to check out the recipients of the exhibition’s most prestigious awards; the Rio Tinto Sculpture Award went to NSW’s Harrie Fasher’s ‘Transition’, while the Western Australian Sculptor Scholarship was awarded to Fremantle’s Sally Stoneman’s ‘Seed’.

Last year’s Sculpture by the Sea attracted over 200,000 beachgoers, so don’t be the odd one out; head down to Cottesloe for your dose of culture, art and Vitamin D.

‍