For all of May and the first two weeks of June Toorak Village, one of Melbourne’s inner south east suburbs, is taken over by sculpture with work exhibited in shop front windows and along the sidewalks of Toorak Road.
Known as the Toorak Village Sculpture Exhibition, the event is a cultural experience that blends business with art and is coordinated by the Toorak Village Traders.
‘The whole idea was to give artists a good opportunity with a twenty-four hour gallery. People can come and look at the exhibition at ten o’clock at night if they want to and it’s free,’ said Tony Fialides, Founder and Director of the exhibition and President of The Toorak Village Traders Association.
‘It is something that has been heavily embraced by the arts community and sculptors over the years.’
CALL FOR ENTRIES
Now in its 19th year, Toorak Village Traders are calling for entries for the 2020 exhibition and have extended the closing date to Monday 10 February.
Toorak Village Traders welcome medium sized sculptures that will fit within a variety of shop window types and sizes. They are also looking for large sized, extremely robust sculptures that can be bolted to the footpath along Toorak Road. All sculpture submissions must be original, for sale, and made in Australia within the last two years.
Echidna by Moz Moresi. Photo credit: Craig Lawson
Due to the prominent location on the popular Toorak Village shopping strip, artists works are often sold during the exhibition, explained Fialides.
‘One of the big things about this show is that not only can you win a prize, but each item — and this is important to stress — is for sale. If you have something for sale for $5,000, or it could be $500, you have the opportunity to win a prize and to sell it. There’s a good chance you will get some money in this show,’ he said.
CATEGORIES
On offer is a massive $10,000 cash prize for the best judged sculpture in the exhibition, as well as three non-acquisitive awards ($2,500, $1,000 and $1,500 Meridian Foundry Prize).
Toorak Village Traders Best Sculpture Prize
$10,000
Meridian Foundry Award
$1,500 for Bronze Casting
Toorak Village Traders Award
$2,500
Judges Encouragement Award
$1,000
Entry to the 2019 Sculpture Exhibition is now open and will close Monday 10 February 2020. Learn more about how to enter.
