A BOLD new chapter for contemporary sculpture in Western Australia has commenced following the official launch of the Perth Sky Sculpture Park.

Announcing its Vision and an Acquisitive Awards prize pool of $150,000 – supported by the City of Kalamunda through its Percent-for-art Public Art Reserve – Perth Sky and its inaugural biennial exhibition is aiming to attract artists from across WA, the nation, and around the globe to submit expressions of interest. Submissions will open to artists later this month.

The project will transform the historic Perth Observatory in the Bickley Valley – already renowned for Astrotourism – into an expanded destination for contemporary sculpture and nature-based tourism.

Set to open in spring next year, Perth Sky Sculpture Park is a community-driven initiative that will feature contemporary artworks integrated into the region’s striking natural landscape in the observatory’s surroundings.

The curatorial vision for the Perth Sky Sculpture Park champions experimentation and artistic courage.

Rather than adhering to a single theme, it offers artists the opportunity to present bold, innovative work in a dramatic bushland setting complemented by minimalist architecture and heritage Observatory domes.

Perth Sky Sculpture Park chair and head curator Johannes Pannekoek said the park’s aim is simple but ambitious: to create a permanent, not-for-profit sculpture park that fosters dialogue between contemporary art, science and nature.

“By placing artworks within this extraordinary landscape, we complement the Observatory’s night-time activity and enrich its daytime experience,” Mr Pannekoek said.

“Our curatorial team is committed to creative risk-taking and working with artists who push the boundaries of form and meaning. Through a major biennial exhibition and an evolving collection, we aim to build a nationally significant cultural destination here in the Perth Hills.”

City of Kalamunda Mayor Margaret Thomas said the city was incredibly proud to support the initiative, including a $150,000 commitment to establish the Perth Sky Acquisitive Awards.

“These awards will recognise artistic excellence, with award-winning sculptures being placed in the public realm across the city for generations to enjoy.”

When complete, the sculpture park’s approximately 1.5-kilometre trail will wind through native bushland, offering an immersive experience where art and environment converge.

Visitors may find themselves walking beside telescope domes and sculptures, discovering hidden installations between trees, or glimpsing a kangaroo or quenda along the way.

Perth Sky Sculpture Park creative director Sandra Tinari said the park was conceived as a place of connection - to each other and to the land.

“Perth Sky is being developed as a unique cultural experience for Western Australia - a place where contemporary art, nature and the observatory’s long tradition of inspiring curiosity come together.

“Surrounded by native bushland and framed by the clear, open skies of the Perth Hills, the sculpture park will offer visitors an opportunity to slow down and reconnect with the environment, with creativity and with one another.

“By inviting people to explore art in this landscape, we hope to cultivate deeper community engagement, nurture creative exploration and provide moments of reflection and renewed wonder.”

Opening in spring next year during the Noongar season of Kambarang, the inaugural Perth Sky Sculpture Park Biennial will be an accessible, family-friendly attraction inviting locals and visitors to explore art in a relaxed outdoor setting where creativity and community meet.

“Later this year, we’ll release an open call to artists from across WA, Australia and overseas,” Mr Pannekoek said.

“Artists may submit new works inspired by this place, or propose previously exhibited pieces that deserve a long-term home. A curatorial panel will select works across scale and form - from standalone and suspended sculptures to ephemeral installations, and projections onto the observatory’s domes and walls.

“We’re seeking work that is bold, innovative and beautifully resolved - art that feels at home beneath this expansive Western Australian sky.”

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