April Pine with Alcoa Australia President, Michael Gollschewski at her studio
Sculpture by the Sea and Alcoa Australia are delighted to announce young Perth sculptor April Pine as this year’s recipient of the Alcoa Aluminium Sculpture Award of $10,000. (Pictured here talking to Alcoa Australia President Michael Gollschewski about her work in her studio)
The award highlights Alcoa’s 16 years of continued commitment to supporting artists in Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe that use aluminium in striking and unique ways. It was presented to Pine for the creation of a sculpture substantially comprised of aluminium for the upcoming Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe 2020 exhibition.
In 2020, Pine will exhibit a work titled ‘Flutter,’ which comprises of two 3.5 metre high organic figures made from aluminium sheet stood side by side, their reductive forms working in unison, creating a delicate structural balancing act as though caught in motion.
Said April Pine: “It is a huge honour to be the 2020 recipient of the Alcoa Aluminium Sculpture Award this year and I’m humbled by the support of this generous prize. Out of the last six Sculpture by the Sea shows, this will be my fourth time using aluminium, so it absolutely has a strong presence in my material suite. The prize this year has supported my ability to go even larger in scale as the lightness of aluminium enables me to produce a big work on a fine and delicate structure. I’m very much looking forward to pushing my skills with this material and celebrating the clean and pure qualities of aluminium in a light and beautiful way.”
The award is part of Alcoa’s long-running support for Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe. The integrated bauxite miner and alumina and aluminium producer is a founding and major sponsor of the exhibition. As well as the aluminium award, Alcoa supports Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe’s Schools Program, which each year provides approximately 2,000 students with a backstage pass to the exhibition and artistic process.
Alcoa Australia President Michael Gollschewski said the company was proud to play a part in helping makes the arts accessible to everyone through its 16-year involvement with the iconic beach-side event.
Mr Gollschewski said through both the aluminium award and associated artist subsidies, Alcoa was also proud to have supported numerous emerging artists and to help them bring their stunning works to life for all to see and enjoy.
“We are delighted to be able to support artists like April to use our flagship product – aluminium. Strong yet light, durable and malleable, aluminium is a perfect material for sculpture and this is a perfect exhibition to showcase it,” he said. “This year, at least five artists have chosen to work predominately with aluminium including April, who is a worthy recipient of our award and I can’t wait to see her stunning piece light up Cottesloe Beach.”