The Sculpture by the Sea project, incorporating the Snowy Valleys Sculpture Trail, was the recent recipient of the prestigious Gratias Agit award in Prague.

Founding CEO and artistic director, David Handley, travelled to Prague as a guest of the Czech government to receive the award on behalf of Sculpture by the Sea.

The Gratias Agit award is presented by the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs in recognition of work “for the benefit of the whole society, for the promotion of friendship among nations and for spreading the good word about the Czech Republic abroad.”

The award was presented to the not-for-profit organisation Sculpture by the Sea for its work through the exhibitions in Sydney and Perth and the Snowy Valleys Sculpture Trail.

In 2022, the Snowy Valleys Sculpture Trail was launched and has since grown to 64 sculptures by artists from 17 countries around the world, three of which are by Czech artists.

Milan Kuzica’s sculpture ‘Green Life’ is in Batlow and Václav Fiala’s ‘Universum’ and ‘Phantoms of Corporality – Urban Islands’ by Vojtech Mica are located at Pilot Hill. Each of these artworks has received funding from the Czech Consulate in Sydney in a gesture of international friendship to the people of the Snowy Valleys in response to the Black Summer fires.

“Having the Snowy Valleys enhanced by the sculpture trail with artworks from around the world has led to a whole new group of people discovering the delights of our area,” said Snowy Valleys mayor, Cr Julia Ham.

“The recognition of the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the prestigious Gratias Agit Award highlights what has been achieved by the vision of bringing Czech and other international artists to the region. This is something we can all be proud of.”

Prague is a city close to Handley’s heart after he first visited Prague in early 1990 shortly after the revolution, before moving to the city in 1993 where he lived for two years.

During this time, Handley curated and produced the art exhibition ‘The World in Praha’ in Obecni Dum, reflecting Prague’s place in the centre of Europe heading itself after the twentieth century. He set up a film sales agency selling the early Peter Weir, Bruce Beresford and Fred Schepisi movies, such as ‘Picnic at Hanging Rock’; set up a wine sales agency arranging the first sale of Australian wine into the Czech Republic on behalf of Penfolds and others; and worked as a consultant to a Czech law firm.

Most importantly, while living in Prague in 1994, Handley visited a sculpture exhibition in the ruins of the castle of Klenova of artists who had not been allowed to exhibit during the communist years.

It was this exhibition that inspired Handley to choose sculpture as the art form for the free to the public cultural event he had thought about producing in Sydney, which would become Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi.

Handley received the award on behalf of the organisation.

“From the very first years of Sculpture by the Sea one aim was to invite artists from around the world to Australia,” he said.

“It is a wonderful surprise to receive this award from the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“Prague is a place very close to my heart and over the last 21 years we have greatly enjoyed exhibiting many Czech artists in Sculpture by the Sea at Bondi and Cottesloe.

“More recently the three sculptures by Czech artists in the Snowy Valleys have also delighted many visitors from near and far with Milan Kuzica visiting Batlow Technology School as part of the Snowy Hydro School Education Program.”

Zuzana Slováková, Czech Consul-General to Sydney, said “The Consulate General of the Czech Republic is thrilled to have the opportunity to continually support Czech artists, who have had a long tradition of exhibiting in Sculpture by the Sea and now Snowy Valleys Sculpture Trail.

“Sculpture by the Sea is truly one-of-its-kind and has long been a platform for bringing works from all over the world, including our country, to the Australian public. It has given space to many Czech artists over the years, acting as a cultural bridge between our two countries through the universal language of art and the deeply experiential nature of sculptural practice.

“It seems only fitting that the founder and artistic director, David Handley, accepted this award on behalf of Sculpture by the Sea and Snowy Valleys Sculpture Trail, given that the idea behind the festival came to be in the Czech Republic, where he was living in the beginning of the 90s.

“It is my hope that Sculpture by the Sea will continue to inspire and connect and that Czech artists will continue to be a part of its story.

This article appeared in Corryong Courier, 31 July 2025.