Artist's Personal Journey Shapes Powerful Sculpture at Cottesloe Exhibition
Sculpture By The Sea, Cottesloe makes a triumphant return in 2026, featuring a poignant work by artist Julian Pereira, titled The Thinker. This sculpture, created in collaboration with co-artist David Da Costa Enes, serves as a bold statement on accessibility and disability advocacy, drawing from Pereira's own life experiences.
From Coordinator to Creator: A Transformative Path
Julian Pereira, now 42, last participated in Sculpture By The Sea, Cottesloe in 2012 as an exhibition coordinator. At that time, he was able-bodied and left to pursue architecture studies. Over the past fourteen years, his life has undergone a dramatic shift due to a genetic neurodegenerative disorder known as hereditary spastic paraplegia.
"It started maybe about a year or two after I left Sculpture By The Sea where the nerves are deteriorating," Pereira explains. "I was running around playing footy and then one season, I just found it hard to pick up my feet. My toes were dragging, and from there, slowly, my running deteriorated. Then my walking."
This progressive condition led him from using a walking stick to a powered wheelchair over approximately a decade. Pereira notes that the disorder emerged unexpectedly, as he was highly active and no living family members had it, though his father recalls a grandfather who was bedbound.
Creative Pivot: From Architecture to Advocacy
Pereira has since transitioned from architecture to running a 3D printing and design business with his brother, working part-time to accommodate his disability and creative projects. His collaboration with David Da Costa Enes includes the light installation Crosswalk This Way for Sydney's Vivid 2022, which reimagined pedestrian symbols to include the International Symbol of Access and other poses.
This symbol became central to their application for Sculpture By The Sea Bondi in 2024. Initially, they proposed a temporary installation to improve wheelchair access on the Bondi to Bronte Coastal Walk, but it was vetoed by Waverley Council. With two weeks left, they pivoted to The Thinker, a corten steel sculpture that manipulates the International Symbol of Access to echo Auguste Rodin's iconic work.
Sparkling Conversations on Inclusion
"I'm hoping it sparks conversation about accessibility, about who deserves to be in a public space and who deserves to access a beach or a coastal path," Pereira emphasizes. He argues that accessibility challenges can affect anyone, from those with disabilities to parents with prams or elderly individuals, advocating for a more inclusive society.
After its debut at Bondi in 2024, The Thinker is now set for Cottesloe in 2026, marking the event's return after a 2025 hiatus due to funding issues. It will be among 70 artworks, including over 30 by Western Australian artists, and feature enhanced accessibility measures.
Enhanced Accessibility and Personal Milestones
The exhibition introduces nine Beach Access Days, a significant increase from previous years, with beach matting provided for visitors with limited mobility. Pereira has requested that his sculpture be placed on the sand with continuous matting throughout the exhibition, not just on designated days.
"When I worked there in 2012, there was zero beach matting days and it wasn't something that I really noticed, because I was able-bodied and took this beach and sand for granted," he admits. This personal boundary-pushing extends to his travel, as flying to Perth will be his furthest journey since becoming a wheelchair user.
Pereira expresses excitement about this full-circle moment, returning not as staff but as an artist. "I love Sculpture By The Sea, it just brings art to the people," he says, looking forward to enjoying Cottesloe's sunsets and navigating the space from a new perspective.
Sculpture By The Sea, Cottesloe runs from March 6 to 23 at Cottesloe Beach, with Beach Access Days scheduled from March 11 to 19.
