this major exhibition has been staged outside of Australia; forming part of the centenary celebration for the Aarhus National Exhibition.
The exhibition is being produced in association with the City of Aarhus, the city’s iconic art museum ‘
ARoS’ as well as with the advice and guidance of ‘Sculpture by the Sea’s’ Founding Director, David Handley and Axel Arnott, Head Curator, ‘Sculpture by the Sea, Aarhus’.
Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary are patrons of the exhibition and have been instrumental in bringing ‘Sculpture by the Sea’ to Aarhus, having been impressed when they experienced the exhibition on the Sydney coastal walk from Bondi Beach to Tamarama and ever since had hoped that ‘Sculpture by the Sea’ could come to Denmark one day.
The exhibition also expresses the friendship that already exist between Denmark and Australia, through the marriage of the royal couple, as Crown Princess Mary is originally from Australia, and it was this special relationship that was central in the choice of Denmark as the location for this international exhibition.
Commenting on the news the Crown Prince and Crown Princess said “It is a source of great delight to both of us that Aarhus Municipality, in collaboration with ARoS, is able to present one of the most spectacular artistic events from Australia, ‘Sculpture by the Sea’. This is a very exciting meeting of the cultures of Denmark and Australia – also for us personally, as it brings back fond and happy memories of our many strolls along Sydney’s Bondi Beach. So it is with great pleasure that we have agreed to be Patrons of the exhibition and there is no doubt that the public can look forward to a great experience”.
‘Sculpture by the Sea’ founder David Handley added “I am very honoured and excited that the Crown Prince and Crown Princess are so enthusiastic about ‘Sculpture by the Sea’ and had the idea to bring the exhibition to Aarhus. Until now we have turned down similar requests because of the difficulty finding the right combination of location and suitable local backing”.
He continued ”The reason why we are able to stage the first international ‘Sculpture by the Sea’ exhibition in Aarhus is that we found the unique framework for the event that we require - the combination of a spectacular coastline and the enthusiastic support of the Municipality of Aarhus.”
Jens Erik Sørensen, Director of the ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum also commented “It is with great enthusiasm and joy that ARoS is able to contribute to the fulfilment of the vision of The Crown Prince and Crown Princess to create a special version of ‘Sculpture by the Sea’ in Aarhus. From the beginning the vision of the museum has been to bring the world to Aarhus and to make the best possible art available to the greatest possible number of people – also outside the physical framework of the actual museum. ‘Sculpture by the Sea’ now helps to fulfil that vision. The Crown Prince couple are right - the coast line here is unique and absolutely perfect for an exhibition like this. The scenic beach and forest in Aarhus are an optimal setting for showing and experiencing sculpture”.
The process of selecting the pieces began last year when a shortlist of artists from across the world were invited to submit proposals to the curatorial panel comprised of Axel Arnott, Head Curator, Sculpture by the Sea; Gitte Oerskov, Senior Curator, ARoS; Ron Robertson-Swann OAM, Sculptor and Jesper Rasmussen, Sculptor.
Aarhus, Denmark’s the second largest city, provides the perfect backdrop to the exhibition with its large student population providing a young and lively atmosphere of cafes, restaurants, bars and boutiques. It is also the leading growth centre in Denmark and has always been noted for its culture. In addition the Aarhus City Council has recently decided to invest significant resources in the cultural life of the city with the aim of seeing Aarhus designated European Capital of Culture in 2017.
The Mayor of Aarhus, Nicolai Wammen added “’Sculpture by the Sea’ is a unique Danish-Australian cultural event, which I am very proud to be able to bring to Aarhus during the summer of 2009. I am sure it will attract attention and awaken enthusiasm when art and nature are united along the Aarhus Bay. ‘Sculpture by the Sea’ is an experience to be enjoyed by large numbers of people and will constitute to one of the outstanding events in the celebration of the centenary of the National Exhibition in Aarhus. I expect it will have the benefit of great local support',
Facts about Sculpture by the Sea Sculpture by the Sea was created by Australian David Handley and was mounted for the first time on the Bondi Beach to Tamarama Beach coastal walk in 1997 as a one-day event. Since then, the exhibition has grown into a gigantic event attracting an estimated 500 000 visitors from all over the world. During October 2008 Bondi Beach provided the setting for Sculpture by the Sea for the twelfth successive year. In addition, Sculpture by the Sea was also shown at Cottesloe Beach in Perth, which was able to present the exhibition for the fifth year in succession in March this year.
For further press information, please contact:
Mr. Bjarne Bækgaard
Director of Communications
ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum
T:+45 8730 6618 | M: +45 3066 5142
bb@aros.dk