Yu Bi Hwang
Carlingford High School
BOWRAL, 1861 - 2021
Painting
Acrylic and watercolour on plasterboard topping compound
Frequent family weekend trips to towns outside Sydney, like Bowral in the Southern Highlands, awakened my interest in the architectural landscape as I peered through the windows of antique shops and enjoyed the local award-winning pies in the bakery. My body of work explores how towns rich in personality are losing their own colour by the increased development of homogeneous neighbourhoods. By using materials and physical techniques that are used in construction, like plasterboard and insulating foam, my work expresses the idea of gentrification, with a mid-century colour palette of warm tones representing the passage of time and reminiscences.
My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Mikyung Lee, Edward Hopper, Sally Storch, Michel Delacroix, Jeffrey Smart.
Marker's Commentary
Bowral, 1861 – 2021 is a gentle homage to architectural changes and artmaking practice over time. The series of images that explore Bowral over time, are rendered across a variety of stylistic conventions from abstraction to realism with some images showing great detail while others are like fragments and memories. The choice to paint to plaster blocks also pays homage to the traditional practice of frescos and the application of paint to plaster. While originally frescos were done on walls within architectural spaces, Hwang has chosen to create plaster blocks of subtly different heights that resonate as building blocks working together within structured spaces. A highly nuanced and layered work, Bowral reflects an artist’s deep interest and connection to time and place.