Overview
The two-kilometre coastal walk between Bondi and Tamarama is always a stunning Sydney sight no matter when you mosey along it — and for locals and tourists alike — but it's especially impressive during Sculpture by the Sea. Once a year since 1997, except during the pandemic's early days, the outdoor art event displays large-scale pieces with the ocean as a backdrop. Understandably, it isn't just one of the annual highlights of Sydney's cultural calendar, but of Australia's.
That excuse to soak up the great outdoors in the Harbour City returns again in 2023, from Friday, October 20–Monday, November 6. On the agenda once more: 100-plus artworks by Australian and international sculptors, all along a two-kilometre walk.
But this is the 25th Sculpture by the Sea, so it's celebrating notching up that milestone with pieces by artists who displayed at the event back at its beginning. Paul Bacon, Stephen King, Michael Le Grand, John Petrie, James Rogers and Margarita Sampson earn those honours, bookending a quarter-century run.
Artist: Nigel Washington. Photo: Jack Bett.
Sculpture by the Sea 2023 also features works by Philip Spelman and Ron Gomboc, who reach double decades displaying at the event; Lucy Barker and Ayako Saito, who hit a decade; and Chinese artist Chen Wenling. Discovering exactly who'll be showing what and where is part of the fun of taking the spring stroll, but this year's event clearly won't be short on talent.
Another huge must-see: the return of 2006's famous melting ice cream van, aka Hot with a Chance of a Late Storm by Glue Society + James Dive, which will display at Tamarama Beach.
As always, the exhibition is set to draw a crowd. Each year, Sculpture by the Sea attracts approximately 450,000 visitors over 18 days, with the same number of art lovers expected this time around.
Artist: Glue Society + James Dive. Photo: Louise Beaumont.
