Sydney’s Bondi Beach has been invaded for 22 years by beautiful pieces of sculpture. Sculpture by the Sea welcomes a lot of artists from 21 countries who designed an open-air exhibition through their contemporary sculpture. The event was started by volunteers in 1997. It draws large crowds over the course of its run.

For this edition, many international artists joined 70 Australian sculptors participating in this event. Of particular note we may mention the Chinese artists. Eight artists from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing are participating due to the involvement of Lv Pinchang, CAFA’s Dean of Sculpture. Mu Boyan’s Bank is a highlight of the festival, because one of his sculpted corpulent men sits cross-legged as waves crash behind him.

There are other sculptures which move away from realism, such as the work by artist Alessandra Rossi. Cairn is part of a new series that recalls the man-made stone piles, constructed by many cultures since pre-historic times. “In this new series of work the abstraction and simplification of form contains the light and colors of the landscape in which it is placed, exposing the hidden and the imaginary, in a balancing act between fragility and impermanence,” sustains the artist.

Until the 4th of November, 2018, people are invited to immerse themselves in more than 2 km of coastline dotted with art. There will be also free artist talks, an indoor sculpture exhibition and a sculpture conference at the Sydney Opera House to round out the program. Toward the end of the event, only one sculptor will get the Aqualand Sculpture Award, winning a cash prize of $70,000 AUD.