Artists create giant sea animals from sand

Updated: 06/07/2026 - 20:02 GMT+2

Artists create large sand sculptures of marine life on Rab island in Croatia during the Festival of Sand Sculptures, turning the beach into a temporary exhibition.

On the Croatian island of Rab, artists are carving large sand sculptures on the beach as part of the 15th Festival of Sand Sculptures.

Visitors watch sculptors shape figures of a monk seal, a turtle and a giant squid. The beach gradually turns into an open-air exhibition, where each form emerges from wet sand.

The festival brings together artists who build the structures over several days using sand and water for stability.

Organisers say the event highlights the island’s natural sandy beaches, which are rare along much of Croatia’s coastline. Artists describe the process as physical but straightforward, relying on teamwork and timing.

The finished sculptures are temporary, shaped by the tide, wind and sun before slowly returning to the beach.