Sydney Events, ArtElizabeth KellyNovember 05, 2017sculpture by the sea, Art, sydneyComment

Sculpture by the Sea 2017

Sydney Events, ArtElizabeth KellyNovember 05, 2017sculpture by the sea, Art, sydneyComment

Tsukasa Nakahara, High Tide — Tsukasa Nakahara, *High Tide*

As the sun sets on another year of Sculpture by the Sea here is a little set of reflections and images of some of this year's work. Sculpture by the Sea has become an annual pilgrimage for me - it is always interesting to see how the artists use the space and slot their works into the landscape each year.

My two favourite sculptures for this year have to be Tsukasa Nakahara's High Tide and B. Jane Cowie's Swirling Surround. Both artworks star glass as the hero material and both artworks also follow the maritime theme - the wave suspended in motion, the fish swirling around the sea. For the me those artworks that really engage with the setting will always stand out most clearly for me.

Jane Cowie, Swirling Surround — Jane Cowie, *Swirling Surround*

Michael Le Grand, Glacier — Michael Le Grand, *Glacier*

Dynamic movement in an artwork is definitely engaging to the senses - the open air environment also lends itself to dramatic statement pieces. A splash of vibrant colour - an interesting shape. Each piece will talk to a different cross-section of the wider audience. I love this image of my son jumping across one such vivid artwork - this year is the first year that he's really started to get more excited about some of the artworks and a little more curious about what he is seeing.

Matthew Harding, Indivisible — Matthew Harding, *Indivisible*

Zero Higashida, Mr. A — Zero Higashida, *Mr. A*

Anthony Battaglia, Bird Geometry #1, 2 & 3 — Anthony Battaglia, *Bird Geometry #1, 2 & 3*

Stephen Marr, Under One Sky — Stephen Marr, *Under One Sky*

Takeshi Tanabe, Locus of Time 17-2 — Takeshi Tanabe, *Locus of Time 17-2*

S.A. Adair, Reverb — S.A. Adair, *Reverb*

April Pine, Trip I, Trip II, Trip III — April Pine, *Trip I, Trip II, Trip III*

Simon Hodgson, Melancolia — Simon Hodgson, *Melancolia*

Wesley Harrop, Zygomaticus — Wesley Harrop, *Zygomaticus*

Rhiannon West, Wind Reflections — Rhiannon West, *Wind Reflections*

Each artwork has it's own way of engaging with it's audience. Some use humour or a clearly identifiable motif we all recognise and relate to. Others are more mysterious - they use shapes or textures to intrigue and beguile us and make us wonder what they might mean. The delight of a big group exhibition like this is that you get to experience all that variety whilst you move around the walk.

Small Ocean Collaboration with Jeremy Sheehan, Rise and Fall — Small Ocean Collaboration with Jeremy Sheehan, *Rise and Fall*

Chen Wenling, Autumn Moon in the Sky — Chen Wenling, *Autumn Moon in the Sky*

For me personally, I am always particularly drawn to those artworks that are rich with texture - the material of the sculpture is fascinating and intriguing.

Karl Chilcott, Klondike — Karl Chilcott, *Klondike*

Peter Lundberg, Walking Woman — Peter Lundberg, *Walking Woman*

Tim MacFarlane Reid, Fragments — Tim MacFarlane Reid, *Fragments*

Song Jianshu, At Last — Song Jianshu, *At Last*

Elyssa Sykes-Smith, Stagnation — Elyssa Sykes-Smith, *Stagnation*

Denise Pepper, Leaden Hearts — Denise Pepper, *Leaden Hearts*

Akiho Tata, Fantasia — Akiho Tata, *Fantasia*

Xia Hang, Rangerer — Xia Hang, *Rangerer*

James Dive, What a Tasty Looking Burger — James Dive, *What a Tasty Looking Burger*

My son's favourite sculpture was the hamburger, a tad ironic as so far he's been too young to manage to tuck into one properly before but I think it is the colourfulness and the kawaii cute style that attracts him. He also loved seeing the little cars and roadside walls - each little car is different and fascinating so he spent a lot of time admiring that piece also. The mirrored beach room also fascinated him but then he also does love staring at his reflection in the mirror!

Jane Gillings, Are We There Yet? — Jane Gillings, *Are We There Yet?*

Isobel Lord & Sophie Lanigan, Temple — Isobel Lord & Sophie Lanigan, *Temple*

Aliesha Maurice, Statis III — Aliesha Maurice, *Statis III*

Linton Meagher, Lookout for Me — Linton Meagher, *Lookout for Me*

Cui Yi, Sun Light (No. 3) — Cui Yi, *Sun Light (No. 3)*

Britt Mikkelsen, Ocean Lace (2015) — Britt Mikkelsen, *Ocean Lace (2015)*

Kathy Allam, Plastic Paradise — Kathy Allam, *Plastic Paradise*

Charlie Trivers, Grounded — Charlie Trivers, *Grounded*

For those of you who didn't make it to Sculpture by the Sea this year I hope you enjoyed seeing my snapshots from the event and for those you did I wonder what your favourite sculpture was?

Virginia King, Phantom Vessel II — Virginia King, *Phantom Vessel II*

Elizabeth Kelly

Check me out on pinterest to get a feel for what else inspires me. http://pinterest.com/elkprints/