Local Bairnsdale West Primary School art teacher and multidisciplinary artist Natalia Kamenskaia is travelling to Canada next week to represent Australia in the prestigious Parksville Sand Sculpting Competition.
The global event, which runs from July 9 to 12 in Parksville, British Columbia, brings together elite sculptors from around the world.
Marking more than 40 years since its inaugural competition was held in 1982, this year’s event is themed “Beauty and the Beast.”
Competing artists, who can enter either as soloists or in doubles pairs, will face a demanding 30-hour carving limit spread across four days of intense sculpting.
Born in Moscow, Russia, Kamenskaia immigrated to Australia in 1992.
Over her decades-long artistic career, she has built an extensive academic and professional resume in the fine arts.
She holds a Visual Art Diploma from the Chisholm Institute, a Bachelor of Fine Art majoring in sculpture from the Victorian College of the Arts (University of Melbourne), and a Postgraduate Diploma of Education from Monash University.
She completed her Master of Fine Art at RMIT University in 2020.
Alongside her teaching, she has maintained an active studio practice from 2018 through to 2026, working in multiple mediums, including painting, illustration, and sculpture.
Kamenskaia’s career in sand sculpting began on the Mornington Peninsula, when a chance day trip to a beach exhibition sparked a fascination with the temporary medium.
She went on to work professionally with Sand Sculpting Australia, and her talent has since taken her across the globe, competing in both domestic and international sand-carving events.
Despite her international travels, Kamenskaia remains deeply connected to her East Gippsland home.
“I love living in Bairnsdale, it is a great community,” she said.
While the event attracts some of the world’s most experienced sand sculptors, Kamenskaia is approaching the challenge with a focused, community-minded perspective.
“I’m not dreaming to win, I’m just happy to participate,” she said.
