Artistic Imagination Ready to Ignite (Sculpture By The Sea)

On November 7, 2022, the renowned "Sculpture by the Sea" exhibition held at Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia, came to a close. The day before the closing, the 2022 Allens People’s Choice Award was announced on-site. French artist Bruno Catalano’s piece from his Traveler series, titled Benoit, won the prestigious award. Meanwhile, Australian artist Joel Adler’s work Lens received the Children’s Choice Award.

(Bruno Catalano, ‘Benoit’, Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi 2022, Photo: Charlotte Curd)

Bruno Catalano, a famous French sculptor, is known for his iconic series of sculptures depicting incomplete bodies, Traveler. These sculptures have been exhibited worldwide. The emptiness within them symbolizes the void of reality, as the incomplete figure of a traveler seems transparent, yet viewers are unable to reconstruct a tangible emotional experience from its fragments. As Catalano himself said, “Benoit is an expression of my inner self, encapsulating my experiences of travel, exile, the hardships of life, and the journey of introspection and self-reconstruction.” Such meaning undoubtedly resonates with the audience, evoking deeper reflections, especially in the post-pandemic era

(Joel Adler， ‘Lens’, Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi 2022, Photo: Charlottecurd)

Joel Adler, a prominent young Australian artist and industrial designer, focuses on site-specific sculptures, installations, and interactive artworks. His 3.5-meter-tall stainless steel pixelated sphere Lens, located at Sandstone Lookout where the ocean meets the land, reflects and presents the surrounding environment in a multi-dimensional way. Its interactive nature allows visitors to rotate the sphere effortlessly, making it one of the most popular interactive art pieces at the event.

During an art dialogue with contemporary Chinese-Australian artist and art critic Aileen Moka, when discussing audience interaction with installation and sculptural artworks,

Adler shared: “I am extremely focused on interaction and experience. The form and expression of each work are completed in collaboration with the audience, through their anticipated and actual experience. This process-driven experience is vital, which is why you'll find a sign under the artwork saying 'Please Spin Me.' I truly cherish the interaction process with the audience.” 

Aileen added, “In my visual experience, each lens reflects a different portrait due to the varying angles, much like a diverse depiction of Australia’s multiculturalism. The scene before every individual is isolated yet interconnected, symbolizing the links between people, between humanity and nature, and between different cultures. The changing light and shadow of the artwork give deeper meanings to life, time, and space, sparking instant artistic imagination within me.”

Art Site Interview Excerpts:

"Choosing the horse as a subject is because it and humans support each other through pain. When we see the audience interact with the work, it feels like they are touching endless history, walking alongside their loved ones in the corridors of time..." - Andrew Townsend & Suzie Bleach

"Children’s curiosity drives them to want to touch and interact with the artwork. In a public natural setting, the physical interaction between the audience and the artwork causes minimal harm. It’s very touching to see so many artists with open hearts allowing the audience to participate in artistic interaction in various ways. Perhaps that’s why Lens mesmerizes children so much.” - Sam