Sculpture by the Sea has returned to Perth for 2026 after 2025's iteration was cancelled due to a lack of money.
"The Perth public made it very clear how disappointed they were that the exhibition would be no more," founder David Handley said.
"Within a couple of days, we got a phone call from people in the government saying, 'how can we make this happen?'"
Installing and displaying 70 artworks at Cottesloe Beach does not come cheap, with just under a third of the event's $2.7 million budget coming from federal trade and investment agency Austrade.
The export-oriented body has provided a $1.5 million grant to the WA event to cover its staging in 2026 and 2027.
About 20 per cent of the budget comes from WA's state government through Tourism WA and Lotterywest.
The original Sculpture by the Sea event in Sydney attracts an audience of about 450,000 people and is billed as the largest free outdoor sculpture exhibition in the world.
It lost $1 million in federal money after 2023, when it was ranked in the bottom third of applicants in a funding round by federal arts funding agency Creative Australia.
In 2025 Handley accused Creative Australia of "indifference" and launched a successful public funding drive so the Sydney event could proceed.
In a statement, Creative Australia said its spending was delivered through independently assessed programs that are open and competitive.
Half the artists on show in Perth are from Western Australia, including Jason Hirst from Perth-based public art company Little Rhino Designs.
He spent more than $100,000 fabricating the two-by-ten metre sculpture Love You, which was initially accepted for the 2025 exhibition.
A year later, Hirst says he's happy the artwork is finally going on show.
"Really proud to be part of such a wonderful exhibition, and where else would you rather have it, than on the beach?" he said.
International artists are also on display, from nations including Canada, India, Iraq, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Switzerland, Britain and the United States.
"When there is so much strife in the world, and when the world's so commercial, I think people might recognise that Sculpture by the Sea is a bit of a different beast," Handley said.
With funding in place for Perth, the biggest challenge has been travel disruptions caused by the war in the Middle East.
Danish artist Jette Mellgren was on a flight to Australia when her plane was turned back, delaying her arrival by several days.
Known for her land art made with natural and found materials, Mellgren was still installing her sculpture as the exhibition opened on Friday.
Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe runs until March 23.
26°C