Germany artist Jorg Plickat was awarded a cool $60,000 today for his “political statement about global warming and poverty”, the first prize in Sydney’s Sculpture by the Sea 2015.
“It’s a pity but our planet is divided into political fragments and we artists, we are missing general politics to solve the big problems. And that, I wanted to show in this work,” he said.
Jörg Plickat was at Bondi to receive the award for his large scale geometric work fabricated from corten steel and installed on the ridge at Marks Park.
Working since 1980, he is a leading international sculptor who works predominantly in natural stone, bronze and corten steel. To date, Jorg has participated in more than 350 exhibitions worldwide and created and installed more than 85 public sculptures across four continents.
Sculpture by the Sea is in its 19 year in Bondi in Sydney’s east and is one of the city’s most popular exhibitions, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors.
The exhibition runs along the coastline from Bondi to Tamarama until November 8 and this year features 19 artists, both local and international.
Director David Handley said all the artists wanted prime positions but some sculptures work best in specific locations.
“We consider works that are made for one location and how the works will relate to the environment and where they sit with each other,” he said.
With more than half a million fans expected on the coast to view the works, visiting at off-peak times is recommended – after work, from dawn to 10am, after rain, Monday to Wednesday and on Melbourne Cup day.
