Spot the banana shark: 30 years of Bondi’s Sculpture by the Sea – in pictures
News Source
•Thu, 15 Oct 2026 14:00:17 GMT
📰 What Happened
Sculpture by the Sea is marking 30 years of putting big outdoor art on the coast at Bondi. The free show lines the cliff walk between Bondi and Tamarama with sculptures by artists from Australia and around the world. The Guardian shared a photo gallery looking back over three decades of the event. It includes much-loved works such as Drew McDonald's Sharnana, a banana-shaped shark that crowds loved in 2024. Other highlights range from the Glue Society's storm-cloud piece to Phil Price's twisting snake and David McCracken's staircase reaching into the sky.
🔍 The Backstory
Sculpture by the Sea began in 1997 as a small, one-day exhibition. Over time it grew into one of the largest free outdoor sculpture displays in the world. Every spring, hundreds of thousands of people walk the two-kilometre coastal path to see the works. The mix of sea, sky and rock makes the setting as important as the art itself. Many artists make pieces especially for the site, knowing that wind, salt and big crowds will shape how people see them.
🎯 Why It Matters
The 30-year milestone shows how public art can become part of a city's identity. For Sydney, the event is a free day out that draws locals and tourists and gives artists a huge, unusual stage. It also proves that art does not have to sit inside a gallery to matter to millions of people. That mix of free access and huge crowds is rare in the art world.
Sculpture by the Sea is marking 30 years of putting big outdoor art on the coast at Bondi. The free show lines the cliff walk between Bondi and Tamarama with sculptures by artists from Australia and around the world. The Guardian shared a photo gallery looking back over three decades of the event. It includes much-loved works such as Drew McDonald's Sharnana, a banana-shaped shark that crowds loved in 2024. Other highlights range from the Glue Society's storm-cloud piece to Phil Price's twisting snake and David McCracken's staircase reaching into the sky.
Sculpture by the Sea began in 1997 as a small, one-day exhibition. Over time it grew into one of the largest free outdoor sculpture displays in the world. Every spring, hundreds of thousands of people walk the two-kilometre coastal path to see the works. The mix of sea, sky and rock makes the setting as important as the art itself. Many artists make pieces especially for the site, knowing that wind, salt and big crowds will shape how people see them.
The 30-year milestone shows how public art can become part of a city's identity. For Sydney, the event is a free day out that draws locals and tourists and gives artists a huge, unusual stage. It also proves that art does not have to sit inside a gallery to matter to millions of people. That mix of free access and huge crowds is rare in the art world.