The Japanese artist Keizo Ushio has appeared in 50 of these exhibitions. He first exhibited in Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi back in 1999, and his popularity and commitment to the art of sculpture have come to be synonymous with the institution itself. Keizo’s studio in Hyogo, Japan is an abandoned quarry, a perfect setting for work so expressive of the quality of granite. This year’s ‘Oushi Zokei’ (an anagram of his name) features typically virtuosic carving. Keizo begins by removing the centre from the block and the remainder is sliced with a diamond-flecked saw to make the continuous undulation of a Möbius strip. One side is polished, while the other is left rough as if it were picked directly from a rock face. The miraculous form reveals Keizo’s endless fascination with the way geometry is woven into nature.
Keizo Ushio (Japan), ‘Oushi-Zokei-Enmusubi-II’, Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi 2026. Photo Gareth Carr.
Another Japanese sculptor, Koichi Ishino, has reached his 20th Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi exhibition. Indeed, Koichi migrated to Australia because of his love for the event, and he now joins the elite group known as the Double Decade Club!
In the bustle of the coastal location, Koichi’s sculpture offers an intimate moment of escape, a miniature world he calls “mind scenery” (kokoro no fuukei). Leaning forward to admire its craftsmanship you find yourself peering into a massive parallel universe.
The milestones achieved by Japanese sculptors are this year complemented by the contributions of no less than five Chinese artists, including Chen Wenling, one of the leading figures in world art. Chen’s ‘Cloud Watcher’ features his iconic red man, the lithe and dreamy embodiment of the artist’s youth. The work is partly inspired by the ancient Tang poet Wang Wei, who writes, “walk to where the water ends, sit and watch the clouds”. Closer to home, Chen grew up in Fujian near a clear and crystal stream, which he says is like the “river that represents my mother.” Chen prefers his red man to be outdoors, which lets the colour pop against the blue sky and gives space for the spirit of childhood freedom.
This year’s Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi also honours two Transfield Invited Australian Artists, James Rogers and Harrie Fasher. James is one of the more enigmatic souls in the sculptural community: he once said his entire career has been an attempt to capture the rhythm of surf. His process is suitably organic, letting the eye decide what formation seems to channel the rising and falling of waves. Harrie is a revered exponent of drawing in space, with the high tensile strength of steel allowing her to draw lines as she would on paper. This is why her sculpture looks so good
at Sculpture by the Sea in Bondi or Cottesloe where the sky provides a three-dimensional page for the linear form of the work.
Finally, the exhibition showcases three recipients of the Helen Lempriere Scholarship, a prestigous national award for sculptural achievement. Anne Neil from West Australia is the senior career recipient, her ‘Collage of Fragments’ demonstrating the precise material quality that flows from her original training in jewellery, along with a self-assurance derived from a lifetime of practise. The mid-career awardee is Victorian James Tapscott, a standout in a rich class of outdoor practitioners who draw on landscape and architectural design. In fact, Sculpture by the Sea has been a fertile venue for artists like Tapscott bent on expanding the perception of sculpture. ‘Ex-Halo’ invites viewers to step inside the mist-making machine, thereby providing the crucial ingredient – they are the breathing entities implied by the title – needed to animate the work within the communal experience of the Bondi show. The youngest Lempriere recipient is Elyssa Sykes-Smith of New South Wales, whose knowledge across all aspects of sculpture belies her age. Elyssa’s constructions in reclaimed timber express in rare poetic form the plight of the human figure, relentlessly wrenched and twisted by the devastating forces of social conformism and climate disarray.
Harrie Fasher and Elyssa Sykes Smith studied sculpture at the National Art School, where I teach, and from a personal standpoint a great reward of being involved in Sculpture by the Sea is seeing my students become my colleagues.
Head of Art History & Theory National Art School