Gold Coast Officially Best Public Art Experience in Australia

WORDS: Natasha Edwards PHOTOGRAPHY Supplied - Swell Sculpture Festival

An annual sculpture festival that showcased 50 epic, quirky and mind-twisting creations of leading sculptors in 2021 has been named as the very best outdoor art experience in Australia.

The 2021 SWELL Sculpture Festival received the Gold Award for the Best Street Art Festival or Event at the 2021 Australian Street Art Awards announced from Queensland’s Sunshine Coast tonight before being crowned as the Best of the Best in Australia.

The SWELL Sculpture Festival, managed by SWELL Sculpture Festival Ltd, nudged out Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe, which is held annually in Perth and took out the Silver Award, and Bronze Award winner, Chalk the Walk Newcastle 2021 by Zest Events International – a celebration that embraced 3D pavement art.

The Australian Street Art Awards encourage Australians to explore the world-class street and public art that is safely accessible all year round and found in every corner of the country.

With rigorous judging by tourism leaders from across Australia, plus second-tier auditing and due diligence, SWELL’s win has the credence of the art tourism sector.

The judges said, “This Festival is contributing significantly to making Australia a more vibrant, creative and interesting country – somewhere visitors want to explore more keenly”.

Awards Director, Liz Rivers, added “Australia has a long history of creating superlative public art that captivates visitors. Until these Awards were launched in 2018 though there had never been a way of rewarding and supporting places like Currumbin, where the 2021 SWELL was held, that created these art-related experiences for travellers. The Australian Street Art Awards remedied that shortcoming”.

In commenting on the SWELL Sculpture Festival’s dual win, the judges said that the Festival’s inclusion of such bold pieces set amongst the natural landscape right on Currumbin Beach really brought the event to life.

“That was further cemented by the fact that the art was only one aspect of the visitor experience. The creativity continued to flow throughout the event with artists being involved in talks, workshops and twilight walks,” the judges said.

“To achieve all these activities at such a world-class event despite the challenges of restrictions is simply incredible,” the judges said.

2021 Gold winners are:
Best of the Best: SWELL Sculpture Festival, Gold Coast QLD
Best Entrance Art: Gunimidjina Gwala Daraniki, Darwin NT
Best External Mural: Wind Dance, Kingston SE SA
Best Landmark Sculpture: Accessible Cuttlefish Throne, Whyalla SA
Best Mega Mural: Dorothea Mackellar Memorial Mural, Gunnedah NSW
Best Monument or Memorial: Vincent Lingiari Memorial Mural, Darwin NT
Best Rural Art: The Horsepower Highway, Gnowangerup WA
Best Sculpture Park or Trail: The Horsepower Highway, Gnowangerup WA
Best Street Art Festival or Event: SWELL Sculpture Festival, Gold Coast QLD
Best Street Art Laneway: Fifth Lane Street Art Mackay, Mackay QLD
Best Street Art Tour: Frankston Street Art Walking Tours, Frankston VIC
Best Street Art Trail: Heesco Town, Yarram VIC