Ben Apfelbaum

SCULPTURE SMASHED BY THE SEA

In an unprecedented weather event, the number of works in  sculpture by the sea were destroyed by huge seas at Tamarama and South Bondi. One of the sculptures closest to the seashore was Fair Dinkum Offshore Processing  by Melbourne sculptor Bronek Kozka was washed away and ruined. When told about it in Melbourne Mr Kozka was understandably upset. His distress was not only due to the loss of his work, but also the loss of the sculpture’s message – the ill-treatment of refugees.

Mr Kozka stated that, ‘It was made in response to successive governments who have decided to ill treat some of the most vulnerable people on the planet…Their treatment has been shameful.

‘Ny sculpture is a structure cold and austere, cruel and utilitarian. It is made from galvanised steel, aluminum and razor wire…and its most important feature, no gate. Five figures stand rusting (corten steel) behind the fence.’

Mr Kozka is a lecturer at RMIT’s School Of Art in Melbourne.

SCULPTURE BY THE SEA runs until November 6.

Bondi

All images by Ben Apfelbaum (c)

 

Published by Ben Apfelbaum

My photography began when my father handed me the proverbial brownie box camera as a child. As cameras developed I went through Fujica and Olympus range finders graduating to my first single lens reflex camera, the Minolta SRT101, the latter being the greatest facilitator to my growth as a photographer. Digital photography has only added to this. I was a regular contributor to Camera Craft magazine (Australian Camera ) for over three years. During Australia’s Bicentennial year (1988) I made it a personal project to document the celebrations. This culminated in the creation of a book of my photos which was published in 1989. The book was called CELEBRATING AUSTRALIA and came with an accompanying calendar. My works have appeared in a number of publications including the coffee book entitled MY AUSTRALIA (1989), publisher Robertsbridge Severn. This book had a preface by the then Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke. I was a co-photographer on a book entitled SYDNEY- DISCOVER THE CITY with text written by Robert Treborland. Major Mitchell Press was the publisher. Also for two years I was the photographer for calendars celebrating Sydney’s multicultural communities. The two calendars were entitled MULTICULTURAL SYDNEY. My work appeared in a group exhibition held at Sydney’s Town Hall pertaining to the diversity of life in South America to raise money for orphanages there. I have over one hundred photos stored in the New South Wales State Library archive. I had a solo exhibition held in 2007 entitled Ben’s Lens at the Sydney Jewish Museum which celebrated the vibrancy of the Sydney Jewish community. Some of these photos are on the Museum’s permanent display. I have exhibited internationally firstly at the Spruill Gallery in Atlanta Georgia, united states, and in an exhibition entitled Kosher and Co at the Jewish Museum in Berlin. Currently I am a regular contributor to J-Wire and this esteemed publication.