Northam artist bikes, trains works to Sculpture by the Sea

With only one or two trains a day from Northam to the city, he has a good relationship with the ticket-seller, who by now “doesn’t bat an eyelid” at his over-sized baggage, usually crafted from bamboo, wood and plastics designed to blend into the landscape at Cottesloe but probably don’t blend that well on the train.

De Munk-Kerkmeer’s new sculpture will be among 70 from local, national and international artists on display this year from March 5-22.

The 17th annual event is one of the largest outdoor sculpture exhibitions in the world, having exhibited 500 different sculptors, including some of the world’s best known, since its launch.

But it makes a loss and still lives pay packet to pay packet. In 2020, only public donations matched by billionaire Andrew Forrest allowed the show to go on and it was forced to close three days early because of the COVID-19 crisis.

State sponsorships only represent about 20 per cent of the $2.2 million it costs annually. Private donors and sales commissions each contribute another 20 per cent and corporate donors 10 per cent, with other smaller income streams making up the rest.

It’s now lived to see another year thanks to another three-year round of funding through Tourism Western Australia, announced on Wednesday.

And it’s no cash cow for the artists. On average each artist spends $18,000 to be in the exhibition for materials, fabrication and transport, according to founding director David Handley.

“Despite the generosity of our donors approximately half the artists receive no funds towards their expenses even after sculpture sales, with only a half a dozen or dozen doing financially well from each exhibition,” he said.

“The location, camaraderie with other artists, including national and international networking, and hopefully the respect the artists feel from our organisation and the exhibition visitors, sees artists returning year after year. Artists are like moths to a flame with this exhibition, they just can’t stay away, even if it means taking a year or three off to save up for next time.”

Also announced on Wednesday was the invited international artist for 2021: one of New Zealand’s most prominent sculptors, Chris Booth, who Mr Handley said he had wanted to exhibit at Sculpture by the Sea since the exhibition began, and the financial support from the government had enabled.

Booth, known for using organic materials and cultural influences in his monumental artworks, cannot attend in person as Invited Artists have in previous years because of COVID-19 restrictions.

But he is creating a new work titled Laminae for the exhibition, inspired by fungi coral and made from macrocarpa veneer.

The 4-metre-wide sculpture is expected to weigh one tonne, in stark contrast to the delicate nature of the coral, and its heft, organisers said, reflected the gravitas of the fragility of ocean life, with coral reefs dying from humankind’s exploitation of our natural environment.

Also entering the ‘decade club’ this year is WA artist Ayad Alqaragholli, who was born in Iraq but lives in Dianella, working predominantly with bronze and stainless steel to create contemporary sculptures often taking human forms. He says these figures have been in his mind since childhood and are now reflected in almost every sculpture he creates.

Tourism Minister Paul Papalia said the exhibition, attracting hundreds of thousands of people each year, was highly “Instagrammable” and would give WA great exposure to rebuild tourism.

Aside from the government and Tourism WA, major sponsors and donors this year include Alcoa, the Bendat Family Foundation, Crown Resorts and the Packer Family Foundation.