The city’s Hanover House, part of the future site for STH BNK By Beulah, has been brought to life by Melbourne’s rising star artist Atong Atem, who has been commissioned to animate two facades of the building.
Atem’s new artwork Outdoor Living (2021) draws inspiration from her archive of vintage European wallpapers and collected native flowers.
Situated in the heart of a dynamic international arts precinct, STH BNK By Beulah will aim 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 is the first creative commission for this future development. Remixing past and present symbols to shape a new vision for Melbourne, the installation will house the temporary BETA By STH BNK program, an experimental event series.
Dramatic, large-scale illuminated neon flowers 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 signature motifs have been adapted from Atem’s past works, including her photographic Studio Series at NGV Triennial, and new film Banksia, commissioned for this year’s Rising Festival.
Beulah appointed the London-based cultural placemaking and world-class arts commissioning agency Futurecity Ltd to create the temporary artwork to transform the building, with the brief to showcase Beulah’s commitment to sustainability, wellness and technology. Atem’s artwork speaks to these themes through her concept and also the artwork materiality, which incorporates low-VOC and low-energy consumption materials.
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’s artwork can be viewed on Hanover House, located at 158 City Road, Southbank. We would love to see your photos, please share and tag @BETA_STHBNK, @beulah_international and #BETABYSTHBNK so we can experience the piece through your eyes.
Atong Atem, Outdoor Living, 2021
Low VoC paint with LED Neon Flex
Installation view at Hanover House,
Southbank, Melbourne, for BETA By STH BNK.
Curated by Futurecity
Commissioned by Beulah
PRODUCTION TEAM
Mural painted by Harvey G and Chris Henderson
LED Neon Flex Manufactured by Electric Confetti
Electrical by Tolliday Electrical
source
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