Chen Wen Ling (China), ‘Red Memory Smile’, Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe 2011. Chen Wen Ling was one of the international artists who signed the letter.
In two letters to the Australian Minister for the Arts, Australian artists call for Federal arts funding for Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi and offer strong criticism of Creative Australia for ignoring the exhibition. In addition, leading senior international artists write Sculpture by the Sea and the Australian public’s response is globally unique, and that senior and emerging artists around the world want to exhibit in Sculpture by the Sea in Sydney and Perth and would if modest funding to cover freight and travel expenses was provided. Read the letters here by over 85% of the Australian artists who exhibit regularly in Sculpture by the Sea and leading artists from China, Czech Republic, England, Japan, New Zealand and the USA.
There have been no Creative Australia grants of any significance available for this year’s Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi since Creative Australia rejected our grant application in 2023 (for which $500,000 available per year for four years). The only other grants available for this year have been for a maximum of $100,000, which is of negligible benefit when shared between the Sydney and Perth exhibitions and the approximately 160 artists who exhibit. If this money was shared between the artists it would amount to only $625 each, with nothing to stage the exhibitions.
The lack of Federal Arts funding is why our Perth exhibition was cancelled this year and seems to clearly demonstrate Creative Australia was content to also see the Sydney exhibition fall by the wayside. This is the inconvenient truth.
22 October 2025
Writes Linda Morris of the Sydney Morning Herald