SWELL Sculpture Festival 2018

Overview

We're all sculptors. Don't believe us? If you've ever taken a bucket, filled it with sand, plonked it onto the shore and shaped it with your bare hands, then you've sculpted something. With that it mind, it makes sense that part of the Gold Coast would celebrate the art form on its beach — but there's more than just sandcastles on offer.

Returning for its 16th outing from September 14 to 23, SWELL Sculpture Festival features everything from salvaged items to installations to small-scale sculptures, plus projection art, live music, guided twilight walks and artist talks as well. In total, the ten-day festival brings over 45 works to Currumbin Beach for an event that attracts more than 275,000 visitors each year.

While most of the program is free and simply involves walking along the sand, if you'd like to spend some cash, you can also learn a few new skills. The ticketed lineup includes classes on life drawing, sculpting from reality and painting the landscape while you're out amongst it.

Image: Rowly Emmett Photography.