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Since its incenception in 1997, Sculpture by the Sea has developed into a fantastic international art event in Sydney. Under the direction of David Handley, for a few weeks each year the Bondi Beach becomes a giant sculpture park displaying over 100 sculptures. Artists and visitors from Australia and the entire world meet and celebrate this spectacle, which runs from October 28th until November 14th, 2010. Applications are accepted until April 30th. More information is available at:  http://sculpturebythesea.com
 
Last year, Georg Mayerhanser was able to exhibit three sculptures. The three-meter-tall works from the series "Obama Phoenyx" stand symbolically for renewal - out of the fire a new identity arises. In total, the series comprises 12 works of differing height between two and six meters. The works represent for him the typical "cut-outs": multifacetous forms created with his particular cut- and fold-techniques, such that surface and the colour vary depending on the viewer's position.
  
From Georg Mayerhanser's Report:
 
We arrived in Sydney on October 16th. There I discovered that I could construct my works in the studios from SOPA (Sydney Olympic Park). SOPA offers artists workspaces for metal and woodwork as well as apartments for a particular time period. I shared the workshop with three other artists, which resulted in quite a few interesting encounters and much artistic exchange.
SOPA is a sponsor of Sculpture by the sea. I was looked after by Toni Nesbitt (Manager of the Arts Programme at SOPA) and Sabrina Roesner, a staff member of Sculpture by the sea. She introduced me on October 19th, and on Wednesday, the 21st, I was able to start my work. I had six days to construct my three "Obamas". A portion of the necessary materials were sponsored, but I was responsible for the rest. The tools available in the SOPA workshop were somewhat scarce and not sufficient for my needs, so in addition, I had to acquire and rent machines. Thanks to the organisation team from Sculpture by the sea and many professional helpers on the ground, more than 100 scultptures were installed over three days. Even the transport of the pieces from SOPA to Bondi proceeded without incident. 
Several events offered the opportunity to meet staff of Sculpture by the sea and fellow artists, for example the Artist Breakfast in the Bondi Trattoria or, of course, the opening party at the Bondi Pavillion. I particularly enjoyed meeting David Handley and Axel Arnott. My time in Sydney and the terriffic exhibition were great experiences, and I would happily participate again!
In the Sydney Olympic Park, there is a gallerie where my works will be publicly displayed and available for interested buyers for about 12 months. Toni Nesbitt has the perogative to display for a limited time works which were built in the SOPA workshops but not sold during the exhibition.

Since April 2009, Georg Mayerhans offers his fellow professional sculptors the opportunity to display their works for 6-8 weeks in the Cafe Galerie near Wasserburg am Inn in Oberbayern, Germany. This hideaway, including the sculpture garden and Galerie, are operated by Georg Mayerhans under the name ARTworld. More information can be obtained directly from Georg Mayerhans at:  www.mayerhanser.de