Sculptures By The Sea

Every year I plan to visit the Sculptures by the Sea and every year, life gets in the way and much to my chagrin I miss it. 2016 started off with a bang and I decided that come hell or high water, this year, I would make the pilgrimage to Cottesloe Beach to take in the awe and wonder of this well renowned and much talked about exhibition. So early on a warm Saturday morning my daughter and I made our way to Cottesloe.
I was beside myself with excitement when we got to the beach, as at a glance one could see that there were so many beautiful and inspired pieces of artwork scattered on the beach as well as on the grassy area. Kudos to Rio Tinto for being a patron of the arts and sponsoring this fine exhibition. It is a free, annual exhibition with inspired works of art by local and international artists.
I enjoyed every single piece of artwork and marvelled at the skill, the ingenuity and the sheer God given talent of the inspired artists. Art really is balm for the soul! My favourite pieces were Cycle 90* Premonition of Wind by Kaoru Matsumoto and Re: Generation by Sonia Payes. Though I myst say all the artists are to be commended for their fine efforts of bringing joy to both young and old.
We are so lucky to be able to attend such a wonderful, public exhibition of art and I for one am truly grateful to have experienced the magic of the 2016 Sculptures by the Sea!

Love going here every year. Great to take the kids and let them interpret and experience art. Plenty spots nearby for food or coffee too.

Every year Sculptures By The Sea doesn’t fail to impress … highly recommend attending on a weekday just before sunset. Best photo opps at this time :-)

This is great every year and always packed. Be prepared to drive around for a space as cottesloe is really busy during ‘Sculpture’.

Yet again another great year for Sculpture by the sea. My favourite yearly exhibition. These year there are a few. amazing and very interesting pieaces that are fun for the whole family from giant pink bunnys and massive flamingos walking along the beach to half buried fitness ball that u are allowed bounce on yo men in glass boxes. It’s a free event and definitely a must see for anyone. But try avoiding the weekend or mid day cause it busy with school trips.

What’s better than taking art out of museums and bringing it outside for the public to enjoy? Not much, but setting up on one of WA’s iconic beaches — to enjoy for free — Wow, just a great concept! On weekends it gets very busy, so arrive early or prepare to walk after parking.
The sculptures on display are fantastic, beautiful, thoughtful, creative, thought provoking, abstract, fun. There’s a bit of everything. However, in my opinion there are too many «do not touch this artwork» signs. For an outdoor event, on the beach, with so many kids around there should be many more interactive pieces. And touching should be encouraged.

I love this event! If you are ever in Perth during the summer make sure to check if it’s on. It’s a great showcase of art and social opinion. Most of the pieces are very much a social commentary of the times. The ones made out of recycled materials are my personal favourites as they are always so interesting with so many small details. The event is very family friendly, and good for large groups though it can be very very busy on the weekend especially the opening and closing weekends.

I have a confession to make. Before I had been to Sculptures By The Sea I thought it was a lame mainstream art exhibition for families. Boy was I wrong. Sure there is a hell of a lot of families at Sculptures By The Sea (even some picnicking, with their picnic blanket literally on the pieces or art much to my dismay) but the event is fantastic.
In terms of the pieces, there is definitely something to please everyone, and the event really is a great way to make art accessible to the masses.
I’ll be back next year, but I will go on a weekday to avoid the crowds.

2014. Another cracker year of free art on display down at Cottesloe Beach. Loved the winning piece «like a flower swaying in the wind» by the Japanese artist Hiroyuki Kita. It really is beautiful. Like a lava lamp, on a sunny day I could stare at that piece for hours, swiveling gently in the breeze.
There was the usual collection of things that make you scratch your head and things that make you laugh out aloud. This years’ piece for the latter has to be the massive ‘goon bag’ called «bulk carrier». It’s a perfect choice for our culture. I only wish you could bounce on it.
Don’t forget to check out the protoypes (miniatures) inside the surf club. I understand most of the pieces are for sale, large and small. Just imagine that huge goon bag in your front yard. Brilliant!

What an amazing event held every year show casing some beautiful pieces of art!
My fav this year would have to be the wave of naked barbie dolls and the giant goon bag haha.
If you have a spare evening I suggest taking a stroll on the beach at Cottesloe to look at the amazing sculptures for sale and then getting some fish and chips to eat while watching the sun set :)

Its hard to classify Sculptures By The Sea, yes it is technically a fluid art gallery but on the other side of things it could be seen as a festival of sorts. It happens in a number of different places but I have only had the pleasure of experiencing the Cottesloe installation. I happened upon it last year by accident so needless to say, I was quite surprised to see a 20 foot red man staring at me when I arrived at the beach. I was much more prepared this year and I came along with picnic and camera in hand.
The sculptures are stunning pieces of modern art and interpretation. They are positioned around the sand, the rocks and the grassy picnic area, most of which looking out to see making for a superb sunset vista.
It is definitely and I reiterate… DEFINITELY worth coming down for a look but I recommend coming along during the week if you can because it can get very busy at weekends.
If you have money falling out your ears and nose then you do have the option of purchasing some of the structures but I reckon for most of us we will only enjoy the structures with a fleeting glance.