Sculpture by the Sea

Sculpture by the Sea will return to the Bondi to Tamarama Beach coastal walk as the world’s largest free-to-the-public sculpture exhibition in 2024.

The spectacular coastal walk was once again transformed into a 2km long sculpture park over three weeks, featuring more than 100 sculptures by artists from Australia and across the world.

One hundred three confirmed artists from 18 countries, including Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, China, Denmark, France, Greece, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, New Zealand, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Türkiye, Ukraine and USA will exhibit at Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi 2024 opening 18 October – 4 November.

International law firm Allens continues its ongoing support of Sculpture by the Sea’s People’s Choice Award. The Allens People’s Choice Award will be awarded for the 22nd time in 2024. The Allens People’s Choice Award allows visitors to vote for their favourite sculpture, with the winning artist receiving $5,000, announced on the exhibition’s final weekend. Voters also go in the draw to win one of three Sculpture by the Sea prize packs valued at $500 each.

Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi, began in 1997 as a one-day exhibition run by volunteers out of the Founding Director’s lounge room. It featured works by 64 artists and was attended by 25,000 visitors.

In 1998, Sculpture by the Sea was commissioned to create five exhibitions around Australia for the Sydney Olympics Arts Festival ‘A Sea Change’ in Darwin, Noosa, Albany, the Tasman Peninsula and Bondi.

Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi has now celebrated 26 years as the world’s largest free-to-the-public outdoor sculpture exhibition for over two decades, exhibiting 2,691 sculptures by 1,129 artists from 51 countries. It is visited by up to half a million people each year. Most of Australia’s leading sculptors of the last 30 years have exhibited numerous times, including May Barrie, Bert Flugelman AM, Inge King AM, Stephen King, Michael Le Grand, Ron Robertson-Swann OAM, Michael Crawford & Julie Turpin, and Ken Unsworth AM. The exhibition’s international profile has resulted in some of the biggest international names in sculpture exhibiting, including Sir Anthony Caro, Phillip King CBE (England), Sui Jian Guo, Chen Wen Ling (China), Kozo Nishino (Japan), Fletcher Benton (USA) and David Černý (Czech Republic).

Walking Routes

We have suggested easy walking routes whereby you can see almost all of the exhibition while avoiding most of the stairs.

The blue route indicates a walking tour specifically for those not comfortable with stairs or walking long distances, focusing on Marks Park, where you will also find the ‘Sculpture Inside’ gallery, which showcases artists’ smaller works and accessible toilets.

The purple route indicates a walking tour for those comfortable with some stairs, moderate slopes and walking over 1km.

You can view the map in the image gallery below.

Bike Routes

You can ride a bike to and from the event. There is free bike parking available at both Tamarama and Marks Park. These bike parking areas are for parking your own bike, or you can rent a dockless shared bike and ride it one way, then walk or catch the bus back again.

Please note that bikes should not be parked within the event area (shown on the map in the image gallery below).

Official Sculpture by the Sea app

The GPS-enabled app offers a free, interactive way for visitors to easily navigate the Sculpture by the Sea exhibitions and discover details about the artworks and the talented artists who created them.

The app is free to download and includes an interactive map, catalogue details of all exhibiting artists at each exhibition, stunning photographs, news and award announcements. The app also gives users the option to “like” an unlimited number of artists’ sculptures, creating a personal shortlist of favourite sculptures ready to be voted for in the popular Allens People’s Choice and Kids’ Choice Prizes.

Audio tours of some of the sculptures in the exhibition will be available via a small donation. Created by Dr Michael Hill, Head of Art History and Theory, National Art School, each piece of audio lasts for around one minute and offers unique insights into the artists and their sculptures. Look out for the artwork with a headphone icon on the site number.

A donation of $6 will unlock all audio recordings available.

Voluntary, tax-deductible donations – starting at $5 – can also be made directly through the app.

Details about Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi 2024 will be live on the app from Friday 18 October.

Getting There

With up to 450,000 visitors expected over the 18-day exhibition and limited parking in Bondi, the best way to get to and from the event is by public transport. Buses run regularly between the city and Bondi Junction and between Bondi Junction and Bondi Beach.

TRAVEL TIPS

• Plan ahead. It’ll be very busy on weekends, so visit on a weekday to avoid the largest crowds. Map out your visit and know where your nearest transport options are.
• Leave the car at home and catch public transport. Parking in Bondi is very limited, and heavy traffic is expected, particularly on weekends. Frequent trains and buses will run to Bondi Junction, where you can catch shuttle buses to the beach. You can also consider walking down to the beach instead to avoid the queues. Visit transportnsw.info to plan your trip.
• Remember to tap on and off when catching transport: Tap your Opal card or use a contactless payment method such as your major debit/credit card to tap on and off when catching transport to the event. If you’re using your Opal card, make sure to top up your card in advance using the Opal Travel App to avoid queues at machines.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

• A number of regular route buses run to Bondi Junction and Bondi Beach from the city and eastern suburbs.
• You can also catch T4 Eastern Suburbs Line trains to Bondi Junction to connect with buses to the beach.
• Frequent additional buses will run between the junction and the beach however please keep in mind that Bondi is typically very busy on weekends, so visitors are reminded to be patient and expect delays during peak periods. Avoid the largest crowds by visiting the sculptures on a weekday instead.

From the Eastern Suburbs to Bondi Junction and/or Bondi Beach:

• Route 333: City to Bondi Beach via Bondi Junction (Stand A) services run frequently daily.
• Route 381: Bondi Junction to Tamarama loop services run daily.
• Route 380: Watsons Bay to Bondi Beach via Military Rd services run daily. On weekends, additional services between Bondi Junction and North Bondi will run approximately every 10 minutes from 9:30am until 4:30pm.
• Route 360: North Clovelly to Bondi Junction services run daily. Change at the junction for buses to the beach.
• Route 362 (weekends only): Coogee to Bondi Beach via Bronte and Tamarama services run on weekends only. Additional services will run to Bondi Beach and Coogee every 15 minutes between 9:30am and 7pm.

From the City to Bondi Beach:

• Route 333: City Circular Quay to Bondi Beach via Bondi Junction, making stops along Elizabeth St at Martin Place, St James and Museum stations before continuing via Oxford St to Bondi Junction and Bondi Beach.
• For a faster trip, you can also catch T4 Eastern Suburbs line trains to Bondi Junction from Central, Town Hall, or Martin Place, then change for buses down to the beach.

From the North Shore to Bondi Junction:

• Route 200 (weekdays only): Artarmon/Gore Hill to Bondi Junction services via the City and Oxford St run on weekdays only.

Road Closures

For the safety of the large crowds expected to visit the art exhibition, many road closures will be in place to manage large pedestrian movements around the coastal walk.

7:30am to 6:30pm daily road closures from Friday, 18 October until Monday, 4 November:

• Ashley St between Turner St and end of lane
• Bayview St between West of Bronte Marine Drive and end of street
• Birrell St between Tamarama St and Cross St (Eastbound lanes only)
• Carlisle St between Dellview St and end of street
• Cross St between Birrell St and Turner St (Southbound lanes only)
• Darling St between Alfred St and Ashely St
• Fletcher St between Sandridge St and Marks Ln
• Illawong Ave from Farrellys Ave (Southbound lanes only)
• Kenneth St between Alexander St and Marks Ln
• Marks Ln between Kenneth St and Fletcher St
• Notts Ave between Campbell Parade and end of street
• Rowland Ave between Fletcher St and Wilga St
• Silvia St between Fletcher St and end of street
• Turner St between Cross St and Ashley St (Eastbound lanes only)
• Wilga St between Sandridge St and end of street
• Wolaroi Cres between Thompson St and end of street

Accredited traffic controllers will man the road closures, allowing access for Emergency Services, local residents, and authorised vehicles when required.