Photo - courtesy of Beulah.

A New Mural Of Neon Native Flora By Atong Atem

The Melbourne-based artist reinvigorates Melbourne’s CBD with a massive mural on Southbank’s Hanover House.

Writer
Sasha Gattermayr
30th of August 2021

A new mural by artist Atong Atem at Hanover House in Melbourne’s CBD marries technology with symbols of the natural world to represent the modern city.

Outdoor Living covers two sides of the Southbank building, wrapping 20 metres of the facade with vibrant, painted designs overlaid with neon tulips and an 8.5-metre-tall banksia. The native flora are a reference to the silver banksia that grow along the Merri Creek Trail, while the flowers on the City Road-facing exterior are inspired by a wallpaper design the artist found at a vintage store in Preston.

‘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,’ Atong explains.

The Ethiopian-born, South Sudanese, Melbourne-based artist says this work explores phenomena and aesthetics that tie us to place. The wallpaper evokes an interior domestic space, the flowers symbolise the natural environment and the neon represents the fast-paced, electric modern city.

It’s a symbol of new life in the post-pandemic city.

This mural was commissioned by Beulah as part of BETA by STH BNK, an immersive event series that will take place at the Hanover House precinct for the next six months. Learn more about it here.

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