SCULPTURE BY THE SEA
Sixth Annual Exhibition
4th - 23rd March, 2010 @
Cottesloe Beach
It must be a hard task to produce
a work of art that will detract the average person's view of the sea,
or the bodies, found at this beautiful beach. However this annual
exhibition seems to do the trick. It's always a graifying experience to
watch people of all ages interacting with, and marvelling at, the
collection of fine art works found on the sparkling sand and the shaded
grass. Every year seems to present 'the best so far' as the net
is cast further afield to invite excellent artists, from around the
globe to show their work here.
In many cases, what seems a 'simple' exhibit makes the boldest
statement. For example Gangadhar Maato's Anguish has a purple, life-size male nude
standing straight, his arms bent at the elbow with his hands held out
in front of him, palms up. His face is twisted with emotion that
suggests a mixture of rage and pain. It is a powerful piece. So too is
WA's Tania Spencer's suspended exhibit, Universal, a delicate looking
circle composed of knitted steel wire. Each 'stitch' is dependent on
every other 'stitch' to keep the whole together. And isn't that the way
a society survives? Then Alejandro Propato's Arte de las Playas seems to
celebrate nature as the wind sends these long, triangular, colourful
flags into a beautiful dance.
A few exhibits depicted playful commentaries on life. Hannah Kidd's The Sky is Falling has two life
size, bikini clad figures, beautifull composed of corrugated iron,
standing firm with hands at their sides and heads bent back as they
search the blue heavens waiting for some disaster. Meanwhile their pet
dog appears to be looking for someone to play with him. And
John Hutchinson's wall of road signs Because
I Said So reminds us how easy it would be to slip into an
'Orwellian' society.
Back in Oz, Sasha Reid's collection of 'busts' of domestic, farm, and
wild fauna mounted on fence posts (What
have they ever done for us) were a pleasure to peruse while
Kerrie Argent's long, wide ribbon composed of 7,000 plasitc milk bottle
lids connected with plastic ties, Evidence
- the Trail Continues, makes
a potent comment on the path of waste we 'intelligent slugs' leave
behind. As for 'waste' well we all generate it and Bjorn Godwin's Pavillion is the most wonderful
'outhouse' ever constructed. It may seem a little shabby or even 'old
fashion' on the outside but it contains all the mod cons anyone would
want or need, from a satallite dish to a window. It even has a beaut
view of the ocean from where you sit.
But when it comes to elegance, Bob Emser's Sky Trail 11 is poety in aluminium,
stainless steel, and steel. Meanwhile Stuart Green's Untitled, a
patterned hollow form composed of two layers of stainless steel
'lace', is an example of sheer beauty.