Atong Atem’s dramatic statement in paint and LED neons, Outdoor 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.

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.