Ben Quilty, one of Australia's most recognised living artists, has created a monumental 7m painting for the plaza of the new $200-million Jubilee Place commercial tower in Brisbane.
Quilty’s work, The Creek, Rorschach After Streeton, 2021 pays homage to Sir Arthur Streeton’s painting, The Creek, 1925, in which Streeton depicted a sun-baked landscape and the effects of environmental degradation.
A century on, Quilty’s reinterpretation reflects Streeton’s concerns and is a bold vision of the Australian landscape.
John Livingstone, managing director of JGL Properties, who developed Jubilee Place, said it was an immense honour for an artist of Quilty’s stature to create this important work for the new, 14-storey commercial development.
“When Jubilee Place was conceived, art was always going to be a significant part of the process. We consider that art and architecture always go hand in hand,” Livingstone said.
“When it came to commissioning an artist, Ben Quilty was the obvious choice given his passion for social and environmental issues.
“I think anything that can promote awareness of environmental sustainability in such a creative and engaging way can only be a good thing.”
JGL Properties has a history of creating urban buildings where the public, tenants and residents can appreciate significant works by renowned Australian artists.
It has previously collaborated with artist Jason Fitzgerald at the Newstead Series and are currently working with awarded local artist Ralph Wilson at its Thornton project.
“Public art helps create a sense of place and an identity for Brisbane that will further evolve the city’s reputation as an aspirational world class destination,” Livingstone said.
He said the Quilty commission was conceived through a collaboration between the directors of two of Australia’s leading art galleries—Philip Bacon and Jan Murphy (main image, with the Quilty work).
“John Livingstone is passionate about art, so when Jan and I started talking about this project we both felt Ben Quilty was the perfect artist,” Bacon said.
“Quilty has a strong social and environmental conscience, and he was attracted to the opportunity to highlight the environmental degradation of the past within a leading contemporary project that has achieved significant environmental and sustainability outcomes.”
Murphy said given Jubilee Place’s voluminous external public plaza and natural landscaping, Quilty saw the opportunity to create an immersive environment for the contemplation of his work.
A short prose about the environment written by Arthur Streeton in 1925 is installed in the public plaza, reinforcing the themes of the painting.
Jubilee Place is one of Australia’s most technologically advanced commercial buildings.
The dynamic building, Australia's tallest steel diagrid building, comprises 18,400 sq m of commercial space with the integration of the heritage-listed Jubilee Hotel on the ground plane.
Jubilee Place was built by Besix Watpac, designed by Blight Rayner and purchased by Credit Suisse Asset Management Global Real Estate.
Jubilee Place has achieved a 6 Star Green Star Design rating and is targeting a 5 Star NABERS Energy rating, 4 Star NABERS Water rating and a Gold WELL Building Standard.
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