{"id":520858,"date":"2026-03-05T18:57:20","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T18:57:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/520858\/"},"modified":"2026-03-05T18:57:20","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T18:57:20","slug":"sculpture-by-the-sea-exhibition-returns-to-cottesloe-beach-in-march-after-the-event-was-axed-in-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/520858\/","title":{"rendered":"Sculpture by the Sea: Exhibition returns to Cottesloe Beach in March after the event was axed in 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cottesloe is once again the backdrop for bold and contemporary art.<\/p>\n

After a year where the foreshore stood noticeably bare, Sculpture by the Sea has returned for its 21st-anniversary exhibition \u2014 running from March 6 to 23.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re back from the brink of possibly not being able to do this ever again so it\u2019s wins all round,\u201d David Handley, the exhibition\u2019s founding CEO and artistic director said.<\/p>\n

A $700,000 shortfall \u2014 the result of a denied four-year investment grant from the Federal Government\u2019s arts body, Creative Australia \u2014 forced organisers to axe the 2025 event.<\/p>\n

While the long-term future of the exhibition remains uncertain, the immediate outlook is bright.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe response is one of celebration that the exhibition\u2019s coming back… it\u2019s huge. We\u2019ve seen larger smiles than usual greeting us as we install the sculptures,\u201d Mr Handley said.<\/p>\n

\"ArtistCamera IconArtist Anton Lord with his sculpture “Golden Fields” on Cottesloe Beach. Credit: Jackson Flindell\/The West Australian\"SculptureCamera IconSculpture “Suddenly Everything\u2019s Changed” by Stephen Tepper. on Cottesloe Beach. Credit: Jackson Flindell\/The West Australian<\/p>\n

\u201cThe federal funding that we have is secured for just this year and next year. We\u2019re delighted with that funding and we\u2019ll see what the future holds.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 2026 line-up is a powerhouse showcase of 70 artworks. In a strong nod to homegrown talent, WA artists account for half the exhibition.<\/p>\n

The remaining works form a global dialogue, with sculptures arriving from Canada, Denmark, India, Iraq, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.<\/p>\n

\"SculptureCamera IconSculpture “ART (Artificial Real Time)” by Erica Zaino on Cottesloe Beach. Credit: Jackson Flindell\/The West Australian\"SculptureCamera IconSculpture “Sway” by April Pine on Cottesloe Beach. Credit: Jackson Flindell\/The West Australian<\/p>\n

Mr Handley pointed to the sheer vibrancy of this year\u2019s collection.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got a lot of colour this year,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery exhibition is different, and as always, people will choose their favourites, often different to each other, and different to their children.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"News.Camera IconNews. Sculptures by the Sea 2026. Artist: Jonathan Rockefeller. Sculpture “Reef Reverie” on Cottesloe Beach. Jackson Flindell Credit: Jackson Flindell\/The West Australian\"SculptureCamera IconSculpture “Cycle-90\u00b0 \u2018Wind of the Sea\u2019 (2024)” by Kaoru Matsumoto on Cottesloe Beach. Credit: Jackson Flindell\/The West Australian<\/p>\n

One sculpture, already tipped as a crowd favourite, is set to take long-time locals on a trip down memory lane.<\/p>\n

\u201cA local favourite for people who grew up in Perth in the 50s, 60s and 70s is the ghost of Van Eileen,\u201d Mr Handley said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was a cafe that was at Cottesloe opened late at night where people used to come and get their hamburgers and we\u2019ve got the Ghost of Van Eileen bringing back a lot of memories for a lot of people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"SculptureCamera IconSculpture “Heaven is a Place Where Nothing Ever Happens” on Cottesloe Beach. Credit: Jackson Flindell\/The West Australian<\/p>\n

\u201cErica Zainos has a beautiful work of five iridescent figures on the sand at Cottesloe Beach,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cJason Hirst\u2019s giant love hearts on the beach are fantastic, another very colourful work.\u201d<\/p>\n

With hundreds of thousands of visitors expected to descend on the coast over the next fortnight, the exhibition is set to send Cottesloe into a lively frenzy that was deeply missed in 2025.<\/p>\n

\"SculptureCamera IconSculpture “I Put a Moon on the Table, but it has a Big Crack (2019)” by Yoshio Nitta on Cottesloe Beach. Credit: Jackson Flindell\/The West Australian<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just wonderful how the people of Perth respond to the exhibition,\u201d Mr Handley said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn nights where there\u2019s not much breeze people come down in the 10s of 1000s and just wander along the beach, have a swim, get fish and chips, go to the local cafes and restaurants and it\u2019s just a wonderful vibe and buzz.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Cottesloe is once again the backdrop for bold and contemporary art. After a year where the foreshore stood…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":520859,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[449,64,63,134,46,45],"class_list":["post-520858","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-arts","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-entertainment","tag-perth","tag-wa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/520858","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=520858"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/520858\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/520859"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=520858"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=520858"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=520858"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}