A three-metre mirrored sculpture by artist Paul Ewart is installed on the Bondi clifftops as part of Sculpture by the Sea. Titled Both Sides Now, the work uses the ancient Roman god Janus to explore polarisation and the loss of middle ground. Made from nearly 400 mirror-polished steel plates, the 260-kilogram piece has two faces looking in opposite directions. Ewart also holds a solo exhibition at QT Bondi, where he is artist-in-residence. Both Sides Now can be seen until November 2.
The 18th Castaways Sculpture Awards opened on the Rockingham Foreshore and run until Sunday, 1 November 2026. Artworks made from recycled and repurposed materials are displayed along Mangles Bay. The exhibition includes the main display, a maquette and small sculpture exhibition, and a schools exhibition, all showcasing Western Australian artists. Fremantle Ports supports the event, which has a prize pool of $27,250. The free family event includes Tactile Tours and Artist Talks. The information tent is open from 9am to 5pm daily.
Sixty hand-polished concrete hearts have been installed at Marks Park, between Bondi and Tamarama beaches in Sydney, as part of Sculptures By The Sea. Each heart represents a woman killed by violence this year. Each is inscribed with phrases that can excuse, minimise or ignore violence, such as Asked for it and Boys will be boys. The work was created by Philippa Lysaght and Omi McCurdie. Lysaght said the aim is to encourage people to speak up when they hear such phrases.
AU Now app
Your suburb’s news, alerts and Shorts — in one app
Alerts, Shorts and your saved stories — free on Google Play.
Sydney stonemason Luke McDermott is carving a new lion's head for a 127-year-old coat of arms at the former Darlinghurst Police Station. Erosion from air and rain has worn away the original face, so McDermott is working from old photographs of real and sandstone lions. NSW Heritage Stoneworks, based in Alexandria, maintains more than 800 state-owned heritage sites. The workshop also faces challenges attracting apprentices, with stonemasonry included on the federal Australian Apprenticeships Priority List. NSW Minister for Public Spaces Paul Scully says the work offers stable long-term employment.
Secondary students in Western Australia's south-west are showing their work at Iluka Visions, a community exhibition running for 35 years at Bunbury Regional Gallery. Artist and arts educator Charlotte White, a judge this year, picked five works to see. They include a two-sided life-sized sculpture by Emmasyn Dillon, which won Best Overall Artwork for Years 11 and 12. Other highlights are Remy Mathieson's doll-sized rat figures, Pia Mangano's interactive piece on AI and creativity, and Beccy Mason's cardboard and tissue paper work. The exhibition runs until November 15.
A video piece from The Lorikeet, presented by Huw Bradshaw, looks into the large, multi-clock fountain standing in the centre of the Hornsby mall. The feature, published on 20 October 2026 by Brad Esposito, brings together a sculptor, a local council and several clocks in its account of the structure. The source material is brief, so further details about its design, cost or history are not included here. Readers are directed to the video for the full explanation of the fountain.
Artists Philippa Lysaght and Omi McCurdie have created Sweethearts, an artwork on display at Marks Park between Bondi and Tamarama beaches. It features 56 concrete sweetheart lolly sculptures, each carrying one of 20 phrases often used to excuse or shift blame for domestic violence. The hearts represent women killed by a current or former partner this year. The pair say they want people to speak up when they hear such excuses. Profits from sales of the artworks will be donated to Women's Community Shelters.
Residents in the southern NSW town of Griffith are building art from local citrus for the town's annual spring festival. More than 100,000 oranges and grapefruits from local growers have gone into 60 sculptures on display in the Griffith CBD. Fruit is washed and waxed to keep its shine, and it will be juiced after the 14-day event. Jone Laweloa has built a Fijian house from oranges to honour his heritage, reflecting the town's many cultures. Griffith City Council's tourism manager says the festival celebrates the town's creativity, agriculture and community spirit.
Australia's largest free outdoor sculpture exhibition is back on Sydney's 2km Bondi to Tamarama coastal walk. Artists from around the world are showing their work. The exhibition runs until 2 November.
Two friends, Philippa Lysaght and Omi McCurdie, have installed dozens of concrete hearts at Marks Park in Bondi as part of this year's Sculpture by the Sea. Each heart represents a woman killed by a former or current partner this year, and the number was increased from 52 to reflect a particularly bad year for violence against women. The phrases etched into the hearts reflect language that excuses, minimises or ignores violence. The hearts will go on sale, with proceeds going to Women's Community Shelters. The exhibition marks 30 years since its founding in 1977.
Torres Strait Island artist Toby Cedar has opened an exhibition of masks, headdresses and sculptures at The Gallery in Coffs Harbour. The works draw on his family, culture and the sea, and use traditional materials such as bamboo, coconut shell, feathers and pearl shell. Cedar, who has performed for King Charles and Queen Camilla, will give an artist talk on November 4. The exhibition runs until November 26 at The Saltwater Freshwater Gallery.
This year's Sculpture by the Sea has again turned the 2km Bondi to Tamarama coastal walk in Sydney's east into an outdoor sculpture park. The exhibition marks 30 years since its first show in 1997 and is known as the world's largest free outdoor sculpture exhibition.
A photograph of a solitary figure in a Snowy Valleys forest has won Murrumbateman’s Stephen Harrison a trip to Sydney. His image of Contemplation, by Icelandic sculptor Steinunn Thórarinsdóttir, took out the 2026 Snowy Valleys Sculpture Trail Winter Photo Competition. The sculpture is part of the Alpine Ash Walk in Bago State Forest, which opened in April 2024 as part of the broader Snowy Valleys Sculpture Trail. The trail was established to support the region’s recovery after the 2019-20 Black Summer bushfires.
Two 11.5-metre Carnaby's cockatoo sculptures have been unveiled in the West Australian wheatbelt town of Moora. The Kerkhoff Carnaby Group proposed the project in 2019 to honour local conservationist Wally Kerkhoff and to draw tourists to the town. The critically endangered birds breed in Moora between July and February. The $540,000 project was 74 per cent funded by community donations from 240 named donors. Ownership of the sculptures has passed to the Shire of Moora.
Sculptors from across the Ballarat region are showing original works at Ross Creek Gallery, which launched its Ballarat Sculptors exhibition last Sunday. The show uses materials including wood, glass, steel, silver and bronze. Artists include Gordon's Mary-Teresa Ritchie, whose bronze works are cast from wax, and Nick Doran Adams, who works with molten glass. The gallery says the series will rotate annually to support regional artists. The exhibition runs until Sunday 25 October, and the gallery, in Smythes Creek, is open on weekends and by appointment.
AU Now app
Your suburb’s news, alerts and Shorts — in one app
Alerts, Shorts and your saved stories — free on Google Play.
Local sculptor Damien Lucus will exhibit his work at the Sculptures in the Garden event in Mudgee from 10 to 25 October. His piece, Evolution, is a spin-off from a private commission featuring more curved edges. Lucus, who previously worked in Lismore, now operates a studio at the Byron Arts and Industry Estate, where he creates sculptures primarily in clay and plaster.
Canberra artist Judy Witherdin's glass mosaic sculpture, Phatyma, has been selected for the Sculpture by the Sea exhibition in Bondi. The 1.6-metre, 150-kilogram piece, created over three years, symbolises women's resilience against oppression. Witherdin, a glass artist for over 40 years, handcrafts each tile in her Kaleen studio. The exhibition runs from 16 October to 2 November along Sydney's coastal walk. Locally, Witherdin's work will also feature in the Design + Craft Canberra Festival in November.
