News
Anthony Caro Sculptor
By Dr. Michael Hill, Author and Lecturer, National Art School, Sydney. Anthony Caro is the finest sculptor since David Smith (d.1965) and among the major artists of the modern era. In the 1960s he was a focus for theoretical debates concerning the nature of abstraction and indeed art in general; Michael Fried, for example, believed Caro…
2010 Bondi Exhibition Catalogue Essay: A Robust Art
By Dr. Michael Hill Author and Lecturer, National Art School, Sydney A recurrent motif in discussions of sculpture over the last forty years has been a suspicion of object-based monumentality, in contrast to more process-orientated and relational work. Underlying this is an erosion of confidence in the very idea that something might be worth monumentalising….
Keizo Ushio celebrating his 20th exhibition in Australia
By David Handley AM Founding Director, Sculpture by the Sea Keizo Ushio is an extraordinary sculptor and a wonderful person, whose sculptures (and smile) are loved in many countries around the world. This year’s Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe marks Keizo’s 20th exhibition in Australia, a milestone that happily coincides this month with the City…
2009 Bondi Exhibition Catalogue Essay: From Bondi to Aarhus, Denmark
By Ken Scarlett Curator and writer for Australian Sculpture In June, 2009 Sculpture by the Sea went international for the first time. The site of this new venture was Aarhus, a city three hours from Copenhagen, Denmark, where, with a shoreline encompassing sand, rocks, lawn and forest it made a superbly beautiful setting for the…
Cottesloe Surf Lifesaving Club: 100 years of Surf, Sand and Sculpture
By Frank Gasch A long time member of the Cottesloe SLSC, publisher, writer and caricaturist Is anyone bold enough to sculpt a shark in a manner that truly embodies our deepest held fears, a powerful force, a shaping force, a sea monster that inhabits our imagination? In November 1925 Simeon Ettleson died after being attacked…
2008 Bondi Exhibition Catalogue Essay: Walsh Bay Sculpture Walk
By Stephen Bradley Curator, The Transfield Art Collection. In 1985 the historic Piers and Shore Buildings at Walsh Bay were saved from demolition by the Premier and Minister for the Arts, Neville Wran. He reserved Pier 4/5 for the arts and particularly the Sydney Theatre Company. Over the following twenty years Piers 4/5 and 2/3,…
Indiana Tea Rooms
Ruth Marchant James Author of Cottesloe: A Town of Distinction From the turn of the century until the late 1920s a cluster of temporary beachside stalls and bathing structures were a prominent part of the Cottesloe beach scene. In 1905 and 1907 the construction of two seaside hotels and, in 1908, the completion of a…
2007 Bondi Exhibition Catalogue Essay: 2007 year of the surf lifesaver
By Ed Jaggard, Author of Between the Flags It is a truism that Australia is an island continent, surrounded by seas and oceans washing up on some of the world’s finest beaches. For more than a century many Australians and ever increasing numbers of tourists have enjoyed these summer playgrounds, knowing that their safety is…
2006 Bondi Exhibition Catalogue Essay: Icarus and Sculpture by the Sea
By David Handley Icarus flew well and his fearlessness grew. He began to think he was quite good at flying. What was this business about charting a middle path, avoiding getting too close to the sun or the sea? Why settle for mediocrity when he, Icarus, could soar? * Ten years of Sculpture by the…
First Landing at Cottesloe?
By Carolyn Ryder, Town of Cottesloe The discovery of our glorious sandy coastline was prompted by a ship that vanished, the fate of which reuncillmains to this day a mystery consigned to the ocean s murky depths. In May 1696, three ships sailed from the Netherlands bound for Western Australia (then known alternately as Terra…
2005 Bondi Exhibition Catalogue Essay: Tamarama Surf Life Saving Club
By Bill Shires, President Tamarama is well known for its unique beauty and cosy atmosphere nestled quietly between Bondi and Bronte Beach, avoiding much of the traffic and the tourists that flock to the Sydney beaches each Summer. Tamarama attracts its own eclectic bunch of locals and tourists, which give it a wonderful ambience and…
Cottesloe 2005 Catalogue Essay
By John Stringer, January 2005 Sculpture is an exciting, pro-active and engaging medium, unique in its ability to transcend the protective indoor spaces usually required by the fine arts. Unlike painting, drawing or photography, sculpture belongs in the challenging realm of three-dimensional space and live action where it can interact directly either with nature or…
2004 Bondi Exhibition Catalogue Essay: Sculpture and other health hazards
By Ron Robertson-Swann OAM Sculpture is alive and well and sculptors are making ambitious and wonderful works. But there are contemporary viruses going around that can make certain sculptures look a bit unwell, and can effect the viewers’ judgement about sculpture. One virus takes the form of topics for discussion on sculpture:- • “Breaking down…
2003 Bondi Exhibition Catalogue Essay: The Royal Aquarium and Wonderland City, Tamarama Beach
Tamarama Beach has often been in Sydney’s social and cultural spotlight. In 1887 a Royal Aquarium and Pleasure Grounds was opened on the beach. Commonly known as the Bondi Aquarium, Sydneysiders in their Victorian era finery would visit in their thousands to observe the marine life and enjoy the varied circus and Coney Island styled entertainment….
2002 Bondi Exhibition Catalogue Essay – By the sea: A history of human engagement
By Dr Paul S.C. Taçon Head of the People and Place Research Centre, Australian Museum It was by the sea that they did it. Along the edges of great oceans, on the beach and in the water, human ancestors travelled on a quest to explore and conquer the world. By the water they met, shared…