NSW artist travels hundreds of kilometres to see his shark-banana statue come to life at Sculpture by the Sea

Each artist who exhibits at Sculpture by the Sea has a very different story.

Some live around the corner of the bustling beachside area of Bondi, others have travelled hundreds of kilometres to feature their artwork at the iconic exhibition.

For artist Drew McDonald, he represents the latter.

Hailing from Ocean Shores, a coastal town just north of Byron Bay, McDonald was a fitter and turner with machinery before deciding to take the plunge and follow his passions.

“I’d always wanted to do something in the arts,” said McDonald, who has since done over five years of visual arts study.

Now this week, Sculpture by the Sea begins and 41-year-old McDonald is “stoked” to be showcasing his work to the more than half a million people who will be visiting.

His sculpture is quite the attention-grabber.

How this shark-banana came to life

The statue, aptly titled ‘Sharnana’, stands two metres tall and in McDonald’s words is “a cohesive marriage between a great white shark and a banana”.

“I was helping the team install it at Bondi, and a young child walked past and said, ‘Sharnana’, but there wasn’t a sign on the artwork with the name. So I guess I picked the right title after all,” McDonald said.

It’s made from recycled plastic, calcium carbonate, steel and acrylic paint.

The sculpture simply doesn’t make sense. It’s a bizarre amalgamation. But that’s exactly what McDonald said he wanted to convey.

“It’s a merging of two forms that we know well but they should not meet. To stop, admire and question the reality of a shark coming out of a peeled banana is to question what it means to exist on a rock floating in space.

“I’ve always seen life as absurd. I want my art to be absurd too, but in a joyous, engaging way,” he said.

‘If you want honest feedback, ask a child’

McDonald said that the little ones in his life were the best judges and critics during the sculpture’s production stages.

As he noted: “Kids have no filter.”

But seeing the children’s response to his Sharnana, McDonald felt confident he had achieved his vision.

McDonald is now one of 100 artists — 54 Aussies and 46 internationals — to reach the Sculpture by the Sea stage this year.

He was able to travel down south for the exhibition and help with the set-up of not only his artwork, but also many others.

Sculpture by the Sea’s humble beginnings

The first iteration of the event began in Bondi in 1997 as a one-day exhibition run by volunteers. Now over two decades on, it has exhibited over 2,600 sculptures by thousands of artists from 51 countries.

It’s considered to be one of the world’s largest, free-to-the-public outdoor sculpture exhibitions.

This year’s event will see 100 sculptures.

Additional highlights include Chris Wilson’s ‘Smoko Seat’ which celebrates local tradie ingenuity, and Indian artist Ayesha Singh’s ‘Hybrid Drawing’.

Sculpture by the Sea founding CEO and artistic director David Handley said keeping the event accessible to the public had been a core focus.

“Free-to-the-public events add to our sense of community and social goodwill,” he said.

“We have a motto that everyone is welcome at the exhibition and you only have to pay the cost of public transport to give your family a wonderful free day out.

For McDonald, he hopes that he can bring a bit of hilarity and distraction to those who visit the exhibition this month.

“It’s been a real treat to see the reaction so far,” he said.

“I hope people forget where they are, find some joy and engage in the viewing, even if it’s for a few seconds.”

Sculpture by the Sea wraps up on November 4.