Sculpture by the Sea 2022

Overview

Before the pandemic, it was one of the annual highlights of Sydney's art calendar. Now it's finally returning for the first time since 2019. Mark Friday, October 21–Monday, November 7 in your calendar because the super-popular free outdoor exhibition Sculpture by the Sea is making its grand comeback to Sydney's eastern suburbs.

This year, the long-running waterfront art trail is unveiling more than 100 large-scale artworks by Australian and international sculptors, peppered all along Sydney's two-kilometre Bondi to Tamarama coastal walk.

A few of the artists on the lineup include Marina DeBris and Stephen King, recipients of the Helen Lempriere Scholarship; and Denmark's Naja Utzon Popov — the first person to nab the new $15,000 Friendship Society of Denmark, Australia and New Zealand Danish Artist Award.

Joel Alder, Viewfinder

Four artworks will also feature in the trail as part of a response to the conflict in Ukraine. Viktoria Kulikova, Art Director at Kyiv's Abramovych Art Agency, has curated a section of the walk that will showcase four Ukrainian artists — Dmitriy Grek, Egor Zigura, Nikita Zigura and Oleksii Zolotariov — while also raising money for refugees that have been displaced by the war.

"The day-to-day life in Ukraine these days isn't limited to the Russian invasion," Kulikova said. "It is also about resistance and unity as parts of our genetic code and our culture. Highlighting our intangible and material heritage for the international community is of utmost importance to promote solidarity with Ukraine."

Oleksii Zolotariov, Wind Rose

2022 will mark the exhibition's 24th year and, as always, it's set to draw a crowd. In 2019, Sculpture by the Sea attracted approximately 450,000 visitors over three weeks, with a similar number of art-lovers expected this time around.

The event's return won't just unleash a heap of eye-catching sights upon Sydney, and give locals and tourists alike an excuse to soak in the scenery as well — it'll cap off an understandably tumultuous few years for the exhibition. Sculpture by the Sea tried to make a comeback in October 2021, but had to scrap those plans due to the pandemic, marking the second year it went through that process. In 2020, the event initially planned to go ahead as normal in October, then aimed for an early 2021 berth. It did successfully stage a CBD spinoff, Sculpture Rocks, in autumn 2021, however.

Following the 18-day program in Sydney's east, Sculpture by the Sea will move on to Cottesloe from Friday, March 3–Monday, March 20 next year.

Katja Grinling, Clyde Yee