Situated in the heart of a dynamic international arts precinct, STH_BNK by Beulah aims to showcase how future expressions of art and culture can enhance and enrich daily life. Atong Atem’s dramatic statement in paint and LED neons, Outside Living (2021) is inspired by her archive of colonial and vintage European wallpapers.
Illuminated neon tulips and a 8.5m banksia by Electric Confetti overlay a painted wallpaper design across two facades of the 20m building in a vibrant transformation that encapsulates the artist’s vision of Melbourne’s past and future.
The banksia was drawn from a ‘Banksia marginata’ also known as a silver Banksia, that grows along the Merri creek Trail, while the flowers on the City Road facade are a reinterpretation of a tulip wallpaper design from a vintage store in Preston.
Atong Atem, an Ethiopian-born, South Sudanese, Naarm/Melbourne-based artist, says that her work explores her relationship to Melbourne, Australia and beyond when forming the sense of belonging to a place.
“I’m interested in the relationships between people, our connection with the natural and built environments, and how this is interwoven with the visual signs and symbols that define our histories. With the work I have developed for Hanover House, I’m interested in the aesthetics of 1970s Australian homes and have chosen to reference the intimacy of those spaces by creating a wallpaper pattern reminiscent of late 20th-century living room walls.” – Atong Atem, artist
For Outdoor Living, the wallpaper refers to interior spaces, while the LED evokes the neon signs of a 20th-century cityscape lit with commercial designs.
“Neon has a long history in pop and conceptual art; using new LED technology enables a more sustainable way to evoke nostalgia for this classic neon imagery. This also speaks to a time when Hanover House was one of the tallest buildings in Southbank,” – Atong Atem, artist
The artwork was launched on Friday, 20 August 2021 by The Lord Mayor Sally Clapp at Melbourne’s Hanover House – and future site for STH BNK by developer Beulah.
The artwork comes as a result of Futurecity’s STH_BNK by Beulah’s Cultural Strategy (2021) that sets a vision to celebrate how future expressions of art and culture can enhance and enrich daily life. Futurecity was appointed by Beulah to curate a temporary artwork to transform the building, with the brief to showcase Beulah’s commitment to sustainability, wellness and technology by incorporating low-VOC and low-energy consumption materials. New public artwork will now be commissioned for BETA – an experiential event series that will bring together international brands, revered artists and makers, immersive dining and the like over a six-month period.
“This is the first series of placemaking actions that will take place in leading to the permanent development, which has made a powerful commitment to place ‘culture at the centre’ of all types of tenancy in the development. Atong Atem’s practice sincerely shares a similar ethos of experimenting with mediums and references for identity to create a new future informed from annunciating elements of the past or familiar.” Sherry Dobbin, Partner, Futurecity
Learn more about Melbourne’s STH BNK By Beulah here https://sthbnk.com/
See the BETA programme of events here https://sthbnk.com/events/
