February 13, 2025
The Lorne Sculpture Biennale returns
The Lorne Sculpture Exhibition Inc. is excited to be bringing its eighth rendition of the Lorne Sculpture Biennale titled ‘STRATA’ to the iconic Lorne foreshore in March 2025. Compiled by renowned Melbourne-based curator Simon Lawrie, the public exhibition will feature works from 16 hand chosen Australian artists inspired by the scenic Great Ocean Road landscape.
This year’s theme, ‘STRATA’ pays homage to the breathtaking geography of Gadubanud Country, and the stratified landscape of the Great Ocean Road inspiring an idea that one place can be many, with its rocky layering revealing slices of time preserved by the land.
Visitors from far and wide are invited to experience art and Lorne like never before by immersing themselves in the broad range of new site-responsive installations by the likes of John Meade, Chaohui Xie, Natasha Johns-Messenger and Jen Valender to name a few, showcasing how sound, light, sculpture and environment can be utilised to convey a sense of place within this magnificent coastal environment.
A free exhibition, ‘STRATA’s inaugural showcase will take place on Saturday 1st of March, and will run until Sunday 30th of March with three complementary programs, Sculpture+, Small Sculpture Exhibition, and Tidal Movements, running alongside the artworks for visitors to experience. This year’s Biennale won’t just be on the stunning foreshore, but also extend into the beautiful township and surrounding areas of Lorne, across community locations.
Sculpture+ invites guests both big and small to learn about art, the environment, and First Nations people whilst trying their hand at creating a masterpiece. There will be a range of workshops and events on every weekend throughout the month at various locations across Lorne. A link to the Sculpture+ schedule can be found here. Tidal Movements is a collection of three artistic films inspired by the Great Ocean Road coastline and will be presented in the Mantra Hotel, and the Small Sculpture Exhibition is an exhibition featuring domestic scale sculptures for visitors and collectors alike to enjoy at the Lorne Community Connect. Both will run for the duration of the exhibition.
“The depth and range of approaches to site from these artists will make this Biennale particularly rich and engaging,” says curator Simon Lawrie.
“The exhibition along the foreshore, supported by the additional artistic programming around Lorne will enable visitors to engage with Lorne’s unique cultural, social, and environmental character, whilst encouraging broader conversations about how we inhabit and experience place. I urge lovers of art, nature and the seaside to journey to Lorne to experience this unique and engaging program taking place over the whole of March as there really is something for everyone.”
More Lorne Sculpture Biennale information.
Photo credit: Love flower 2019, Peninsula Link freeway, Langwarrin. Photo Andrew Curtis (top); John Meade (bottom). Courtesy the artist.
