For anyone asking which sculptures to look for at Sculpture by the Sea in Cottesloe, this seven-work selection offers a varied route through the 2026 exhibition: an interactive performance, kinetic forms made with discarded materials, works about accessibility and courage, and sculpture grounded in Noongar cultural knowledge. The exhibition has ended; the organiser lists 5–22 March 2027 for the next Cottesloe edition. “Must-see” here is an editorial choice, not an official ranking.
What to know about the 2026 exhibition
Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe 2026 presented 70 sculptures by artists from eight countries, according to the organiser’s opening announcement. The organiser’s event video page confirms the exhibition ran until Monday 23 March 2026. The official sources cited here do not consistently establish its opening date, so a precise full date range cannot be confirmed.
The works below are chosen for the different ways they engage visitors and place: participation, material, movement, access, individual experience and cultural connection. They are not an organiser-curated top seven or a public-vote result.
Seven artworks to look for
1. Ocean Odyssey — Dr Subodh Kerkar
This is the shortlist’s most explicitly participatory work. The organiser describes a colourful performance in which visitors were invited to join a choreographed formation. Kerkar’s stated theme connects the ocean with civilisation. The invitation applied to this work and performance; it should not be taken as permission to interact with other sculptures. The organiser’s news archive describes the work.
#1 Best Overall
- Stack of 8 river rocks, balanced one atop the other for a unique look
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2. Suddenly Everything’s Changed — Stephen Tepper
Tepper’s work received the 2026 Alcoa Aluminium Sculpture Award, worth $10,000 for that year’s exhibition, according to the organiser’s news archive. The archive describes the work through shell skeletons and their geometry, mechanics, ecology and evolution—an award-recognised sculpture with a natural-history lens.
3. Posidonia Meadows — Stephanie De Biasi
De Biasi’s kinetic, seagrass-inspired sculpture was made with more than 10,000 used wine lids, according to the organiser’s 2026 education resource. The resource lists aluminium wine bottle caps, steel wire and canvas among its materials, and gives its dimensions as 200 × 850 × 300 cm. De Biasi explains the environmental idea behind the reuse: “By transforming discarded materials into something visually engaging, I highlight the connection between everyday consumption and environmental impact.”
Rank #2
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4. The Breath of Aeolus — Leonardo Cumbo
Cumbo’s work makes an invisible force its subject. His description centres on wind as propulsion and a bubble-like form lifted with weights and ropes. The education resource lists Carrara marble, bronze, stainless steel and red paint, and gives dimensions of 335 × 160 × 370 cm. The combination of substantial materials and an apparently buoyant form gives the piece an especially apt relationship to its exposed coastal setting. Cumbo writes that “the driving force behind my sculptures is often that invisible force, arising from natural phenomena or our imagination.”
5. The Thinker — Julian Pereira and David Da Costa Enes
Made from steel sheets and pipes, The Thinker addresses disabled experience and ongoing struggles for accessibility, equity and inclusion. The artists state: “The Thinker raises awareness of the disabled experience and its ongoing struggle for accessibility, equity and inclusion.” Its subject invites visitors to consider how access is experienced in public space, rather than treating disability as an inspirational theme. Details are from the organiser’s education resource.
Rank #3
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6. Into the Unknown — Gleb Dusavitskiy
Dusavitskiy’s text reflects on courage at the point between hesitation and action. The organiser’s resource also describes how wood grain, strength, balance and weight distribution shape the sculpture’s construction. That pairing makes it possible to read the work both as a human-scale meditation on taking a risk and as a study in physical balance.
7. Balga boola – Bigsmob Balga (2024) — Sharyn Egan
The education resource lists straw, thread and synthetic wool as materials and connects Egan’s practice with Wadjuk Noongar experience, local place and weaving. It also notes the balga, or grass tree, has important uses as tools and shelter in Noongar culture. Egan says, “In Nyoongar culture the Balga (grass trees) have important uses as tools and shelter.” This is one artist’s work and context, not a stand-in for the diversity of Noongar art.
Rank #4
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How to plan a visit to Cottesloe
The organiser says the exhibition site stretches along the beach from the sea wall towards North Cottesloe, including nearby grassed areas. Beach access is by ramps or stairs along Marine Parade. Its current Cottesloe page lists the next exhibition for 5–22 March 2027; check that page for current event information before travelling.
The free official app offers a GPS-enabled interactive map and artwork and artist details. Download information is on the organiser’s app page. Use it to locate works across the beach and surrounding areas.
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Check each artwork’s access and touch guidance
Do not assume a sculpture can be touched or climbed. The organiser’s education resource says works cannot be climbed and indicates which are not to be touched, safe to touch, or require adult supervision. Follow the site plaque at each sculpture, including any supervision instructions.
Quick Recap
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