Beatrice Guo
Pymble Ladies' College
TOY BOX OF MEMORIES
Painting
Oil on wood
My body of work explores how even fragmentary memories can be valuable for shaping identity. The work represents the urban scenery of Beijing and my internalised perception of the city and its people. The tall wooden blocks represent skyscrapers on which I have superimposed, in contrast with their sharp rectilinear geometric outlines, images that represent my personal memories of the past, expressing my deep connection to place despite its change. The wooden blocks are also a reference to toy blocks for toddlers and past memories – which may be foreign and alienating for postmodern individuals occupied with personal concerns.
My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Eadweard Muybridge, Isaak Levitan, James McNabb.
Marker's Commentary
This 3-D painting captures a rich, diversity of urban life evoking a sense of memory and a love and connection to place. Beijing city scenes with different vistas populate all surfaces of the box construction. Wrapping around the high-rise buildings, the lower city blocks and covering the top and sides of the base, the painted imagery evokes both patch-work and postcards, reflecting intimate moments and providing insight into aspects of city life in the Chinese capital. High key colours applied in an Impressionistic style with lively brush strokes, have brought the varied scenes to life. The man-made and natural landscapes featuring traditional Chinese buildings with good fortune lanterns sit comfortably alongside skyscrapers with their grid surfaces, close-up street scenes, a waterfront with aerial views of flower beds and forest areas. The shifting scale of imagery, with oversized portraits, creates visual intrigue inviting the viewer to peer around corners and reflect on their own travels, ancestry and experiences. The beautiful doll-faced child with pink parasol, the children playing and the oversized portrait provide humanity and energy. The immediacy in the application of paint, the way space and form emerge from the blocks and a sense of ebullience all contribute to the transformation of personal observation and memory into a shared experience.