New Zealand sculptor Morgan Jones is the recipient of the $70,000 Aqualand Sculpture Award for his corten steel work The Sun Also Rises, which will be gifted by Aqualand for permanent public placement to North Sydney Council.
‘The first artist from across the ditch to receive the major award at Sculpture by the Sea,’ said David Handley AM, Sculpture by The Sea, Founding Director; ‘Morgan is a very fine artist and an old-world gentleman who deserves this recognition.’
Morgan Jones, The Sun Also Rises. Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi 2019. Photograph: Clyde Yee
On receiving the award, Jones said: ‘I am totally stunned – though deeply honoured – to be the recipient of the Aqualand Sculpture Award which is so highly regarded by artists around the world. This is mainly due to two people – my dear wife, Pat – and David Handley. My peerless fabricator, Queenstown Engineering should also be mentioned. Without these three The Sun Also Rises would never have appeared above the horizon. Now, thanks to Jin Lin and all the staff of Aqualand the sculpture will have a permanent place in North Sydney.’
A sculptor for over 50 years, Jones has exhibited in group exhibitions in New York, Denmark, Australia and New Zealand and is represented in private collections in Australia, England, Germany, New Zealand and the USA. Jones has exhibited at Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi five times since 2015, as well as Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe in 2016 and Sculpture by the Sea, Aarhus in 2013.
Morgan Jones, The Sun Also Rises. Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi 2019. Photograph: Clyde Yee
This year’s judging panel included: Stephen Bradley, Manager, The Transfield Art Collection, Sydney Associate Professor; Felicity Fenner, Curator, Author, Chair of the City of Sydney’s Public Art Advisory Panel, Art & Design UNSW; and Sasha Grishin AM FAHA, Emeritus Professor Australian National University, Art Historian, Art Critic, Curator.
Now entering its 23rd year, Sculpture by the Sea continues to transform Sydney’s breathtaking Bondi to Tamarama coastal walk, this year with an awe-inspiring installation of 111 sculptures from 19 countries around the world. The exhibition is free to the public and runs until Sunday 10 November 2019.
