This year’s Sculpture by the Sea feels particularly heavy as we approach the 1st anniversary of the Bondi Beach shooting.
One of Sydney’s most beloved annual art exhibitions is back, with the world’s largest free outdoor exhibition officially opening along the Bondi to Tamarama coastal walk on Friday, 16 October. Celebrating 30 years since its debut, the spectacular free outdoor exhibition has returned with 100 sculptures spread across two kilometres of coastline, giving Sydneysiders another reason to get out and enjoy the spring sunshine.
Running until Monday, 2 November, Sculpture by the Sea 2026 brings together artists from 14 countries, including 30 first-time exhibitors. More than 450,000 visitors are expected over the 18-day event, which has become one of the most recognisable fixtures on Sydney’s cultural calendar since launching in 1997.
Harrie Fasher wins Sculpture by the Sea’s $70,000 award
Among this year’s biggest talking points is Unveiling the Edges of the Sky, an enormous steel-and-bronze sculpture by NSW artist Harrie Fasher. Standing six metres tall and stretching five metres across, the handmade work has earned Fasher the prestigious $70,000 Aqualand Sculpture Award.
It’s a particularly fitting achievement for the Portland-based sculptor, who is exhibiting at Bondi for the sixth time and previously claimed the major prize at Sculpture by the Sea’s Cottesloe exhibition in Western Australia.
Elsewhere, Japanese artist Keizo Ushio celebrates his remarkable 50th appearance across Sculpture by the Sea exhibitions, while acclaimed Chinese sculptor Chen Wenling and Archibald Prize winner Tim Storrier are among the international and Australian names represented.
Political statements and heartfelt tributes: Sculpture by the Sea after the Bondi Beach shooting
Another work worth seeking out is Both Sides Now by Bondi-based artist Paul Ewart. The three-metre-tall sculpture takes inspiration from Janus, the two-faced Roman god, with almost 400 mirror-polished steel panels reflecting the surrounding landscape and visitors as they pass.
It’s an ambitious piece exploring the growing polarisation of modern society and our apparent inability to see things from another person’s perspective. With one face looking towards the Pacific Ocean and the other towards the coastal walk, Ewart’s work feels particularly relevant in an age when empathy seems increasingly difficult to come by.
Ewart’s piece should also be one of the most playful for anyone heading along to capture photos at Sculpture by the Sea. The series of textured, reflective surfaces of the two-faced Roman god mirror the Bondi landscape with various angles to play around with.
As the only Bondi-based artist exhibiting at Sculpture by the Sea this year, Ewart’s work clearly stands out. He further explains the piece:
“At its core, the work explores polarisation and the growing loss of middle ground in modern society. As viewers move around the sculpture, the mirrored surfaces fragment and reconstruct reflections of the sky, ocean and people around them. It’s designed to create a moment of pause and reflection, asking us to consider perspective and the possibility that multiple truths can exist at once.
“On a local level, placing this work on the headland as we approach the anniversary of the Bondi attack feels deeply personal. Bondi is a community that has carried immense shock over the past year. Public art in a space like Marks Park shouldn’t just be decorative; it needs to serve as a mirror for healing. Both Sides Now uses ancient myth and modern industrial materials to ask whether we can still hold space for nuance and rebuild empathy in an increasingly fractured world.”
There’s also a particularly poignant addition this year. Artist Stephanie Quirk’s Love will appear in the skies above Bondi through a series of skywriting performances, conceived partly in response to last December’s Bondi tragedy. It’s a thoughtful reminder of how public art can help communities process difficult moments.
But politics and terrorism aren’t the only issues being highlighted at Sculpture by the Sea this year. You’ll no doubt see dozens of concrete hearts around the park, each inscribed with different phrases often used to excuse or diminish the alarming impact of domestic violence against women in Australia. Curated by Philippa Lysaght and Omi McCurdie, Sweethearts consists of numerous hand-polished concrete hearts representing the women who have been killed by their former or current partners this year.
How to visit Sculpture by the Sea 2026
The best thing about Sculpture by the Sea has always been its accessibility. You don’t need a ticket, and there’s something wonderfully democratic about encountering ambitious contemporary art while walking one of Australia’s most famous coastal stretches.
With hundreds of thousands expected to attend, however, visitors should anticipate large crowds, particularly on weekends. Public transport is strongly recommended, with trains running to Bondi Junction and connecting buses travelling towards the beach.
For those who haven’t experienced it before, the exhibition is well worth carving out an afternoon for. Few Sydney events make such effective use of the city’s natural beauty, and three decades on, Sculpture by the Sea remains one of the most rewarding free things to do in Sydney.
Sculpture by the Sea 2026 runs from 16 October to 2 November along the Bondi to Tamarama coastal walk. Admission is free.
