Student News Media: Sculpture By Sea At Sydney's Bondi Beach; Everyone's A Winner, by Eva Rinaldi

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Sculpture By Sea At Sydney's Bondi Beach; Everyone's A Winner, by Eva Rinaldi - 20th November 2011

It wasn't Sculpture By The Sea that motivated Paul Selwood to become a sculpture artist, but rather the architecture of the Sydney Opera House.

On Thursday Selwood snatched the top prize at Bondi's 15th Sculpture By The Sea exhibition.

Selwood won with his abstract steel construction 'Paradiegma Metaphysic'.

"Paradiegma is an ancient Greek word used by architects who were trying to think about and invent beautiful architectural concepts, like temples," he said.

"The word metaphysic means extra-physical, something more than what is there in the physical material."

Today his artwork was viewed by Denmark's Crown Princess Mary and her husband Crown Prince Frederik, who are visited the exhibition on its final day.

The Danish royal couple have been admirers of the exhibition since 2000, when they came across on the sculptures during a visit to Bondi Beach during one of their first outings in the dealing dating period.

Sculpture By The Sea founding director David Handley told news media that Mary and Frederik were so taken by the event, they took it to Denmark.

"There has now been two Sculpture By The Sea exhibitions held in Aarhus, and 40 Australian sculptors have exhibited there as a result," he said.

Selwood's winning sculpture sits with the works by 61 NSW sculptors, 24 from interstate and 25 international artists...spanning the foreshore from Bondi Beach to Tamarama.

Paul Selwood's sculpture will join two previous winners as a permanent installation in Sydney's Royal Botanic Gardens once the exhibition is over.

Well done to all artists and those who help keep the famous event going.