{"id":522254,"date":"2026-03-06T10:03:25","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T10:03:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/522254\/"},"modified":"2026-03-06T10:03:25","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T10:03:25","slug":"sculpture-by-the-sea-exhibition-returns-to-perths-cottesloe-beach-after-funding-battle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/522254\/","title":{"rendered":"Sculpture by the Sea exhibition returns to Perth’s Cottesloe Beach after funding battle"},"content":{"rendered":"

Perth’s popular beachside exhibit Sculpture by the Sea has returned, after being cancelled last year due to a lack of funding.<\/p>\n

The exhibit, now in its 21st year, brings hundreds of thousands of people to Cottesloe Beach to view sculptures from local and international artists.<\/p>\n

\"Art<\/p>\n

Sculpture by the Sea typically runs for about three weeks each March. (ABC News: Mya Kordic)<\/p>\n

The event was cancelled in 2025<\/a> when federal arts agency Creative Australia cut its funding.<\/p>\n

But new grant funding of $750,000 through Austrade, alongside a state government contribution, has revitalised the event, allowing it to run for this year and next.<\/p>\n

Galvanising support<\/p>\n

The 2026 exhibition features 70 artworks from both Australia and overseas, including 11 from Japan.<\/p>\n

\"Art<\/p>\n

Sculpture by the Sea usually attracts more than 200,000 visitors. (ABC News: Mya Kordic)<\/p>\n

Sculpture by the Sea founder and artistic director David Handley said the large-scale outdoor exhibition had attracted over 3.7 million visitors since its inception.<\/p>\n

“The Perth public was fantastic in making their voice heard when the exhibition was cancelled,” he said.<\/p>\n

\"Art<\/p>\n

It is widely described as one of Perth’s largest free public outdoor art exhibitions. (ABC News: Mya Kordic)<\/p>\n

“That galvanised the political support, it helped us get corporate support, it helped keep the private support.”<\/p>\n

Mr Handley said while it had been a “challenge” to bring the event back, he was excited to welcome crowds to enjoy new art.<\/p>\n

\"Art<\/p>\n

The art sits in place while the beach remains open as usual. (ABC News: Mya Kordic)<\/p>\n

“Each year, Sculpture by the Sea is a new exhibition, we’ve got 15 artists who’ve never exhibited ever before with us,” he said.<\/p>\n

“So every time, the artists transform the beach in a very, very different way.”<\/p>\n

The essence of the beach<\/p>\n

Mr Handley said Australia’s beach identity is central to the event’s popularity.<\/p>\n

“I wish I knew what kept people coming back each year, but I think it’s that essence of how Australians love the beach,” he said.<\/p>\n

\"Art<\/p>\n

Organisers cancelled the 2025 exhibition due to lack of funding. (ABC News: Mya Kordic)<\/p>\n

“The beach is who and what we are if we live by the coast, and Sculpture by the Sea has become part of modern Australia.”<\/p>\n

This year’s event will showcase five sculptures by artists from India, including Dr Subodh Kerkar, who first started applying to participate in Sculpture by the Sea 21 years ago.<\/p>\n

\"Art<\/p>\n

Over roughly two decades the exhibition has hosted hundreds of artists from dozens of countries. (ABC News: Mya Kordic)<\/p>\n

“Initially, my work was not accepted, then it started getting accepted,” he said.<\/p>\n

“I came quite a few times all the way from India, carrying my sculptures, sending my sculptures, and I really loved it.”<\/p>\n

This year Dr Kerkar was the Invited International Artist, showcasing a performance installation titled Oceans and Civilisations.<\/p>\n

Noongar performance art<\/p>\n

Noongar woman Karla Hart was selected as the Invited Aboriginal Artist, leading another performance artwork with a Noongar women’s dance group.<\/p>\n

Architect Erica Zaino created the sculpture ART or Artificial Real Time, which she said she wanted her piece to raise a question for future generations.<\/p>\n

\"Art<\/p>\n

Some artworks are purchased by local councils and installed around the community after the exhibition closes. (ABC News: Mya Kordic)<\/p>\n

“The question is, where are we heading with the use of artificial intelligence?’, she said.<\/p>\n

“Basically, the traditional way we think of art is to be individual, to be creative and with this work, I wanted to raise the question for the children of today, where are we going with art?”<\/p>\n

\"Art<\/p>\n

The entire beach acts as a canvas for the artworks. (ABC News: Mya Kordic)<\/p>\n

Ms Zaino’s human figures sculpture includes an augmented reality feature.<\/p>\n

“You can come to the beach, scan the QR code, and replicate this work anywhere in the world,” she said.<\/p>\n

“This is a step forward on how we can use technologies implemented in the art and in the creativity.”<\/p>\n

The event runs from March 6 to 23.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Perth’s popular beachside exhibit Sculpture by the Sea has returned, after being cancelled last year due to a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":522255,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[114748,64,63,232090,260408,134,60501,17174,17173,86,108586,260407,45],"class_list":{"0":"post-522254","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-art-exhibition","9":"tag-au","10":"tag-australia","11":"tag-beach-art","12":"tag-cottesloe-sculptures","13":"tag-entertainment","14":"tag-gina-rinehart","15":"tag-news-perth","16":"tag-news-wa","17":"tag-perth-news","18":"tag-sculpture-by-the-sea","19":"tag-sculptures-by-the-sea","20":"tag-wa-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/522254","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=522254"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/522254\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/522255"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=522254"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=522254"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=522254"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}