Uncover the many stories of our neighbourhood, past and present, in fascinating artworks throughout the hotel.
Put simply, we love art. It permeates our hotel, imbuing our spaces with the personality, character and beauty of the people and places behind each work.
From the hotel’s inception, we wanted to peel back the many layers of history our site is steeped in, and showcase some of the lesser known stories of our locale. And what better way to share these stories than through beautiful art works and creative flourishes dappled throughout?
Keep your eyes peeled for local cultural tie ins: room numbers graced with etchings from botanist Sir Joseph Banks; custom-designed moving light sculpture reminiscent of moving Eucalyptus tree leaves; the building’s curvy and round Art Deco windows; and guest room interiors inspired by the hotel building’s origins as a grain store.
Perhaps the most significant is the multitude of original works of fine art commissioned from our Australian artist-in-residence, Jessica Le Clerc. You can see more about her art pieces below. Read more about the process Jessica took to create the works.
‘SYDNEY’S NATIVE INHABITANTS’ 2021
You need not even leave your room for your fix of visual artistic beauty. Almost all of our guest rooms feature an original, individually hand-painted mural bursting with colour, courtesy of our artist-in-residence Jessica Le Clerc. Jess has created a series of beautiful botanical wall murals depicting native flora from the local area, including acacia mearnsii, commonly known as black wattle, after which Blackwattle Bay (just a short hop away) was named.
‘1788 BLACKWATTLE BAY’ 2022
This one truly takes your breath away as you step inside the hotel. A stunning work of oil on canvas using Winsor and Newton paints, stretching 2.4 metres wide along one wall of the lobby, it was painted by Jess over just four days (it would usually take months). She created it live for guests to witness and enjoy during the hotel’s opening months. The work captures Sydney’s Blackwattle Bay in 1788 at dusk as the sunset rolls across the plains, the dramatic Sydney sky bringing colour, life, warmth and movement to the lobby, with a lone traveller facing out towards our windows and across to Sydney Harbour, planning her next adventure.
Jessica Le Clerc is an award-winning Australian fine artist, and director of the Art School Co, known for her incredible life-like portraits and realistic, colourful works.
Jess has been a finalist and winner in numerous art prizes including the Archibald Prize, the Shirley Hannan Art Award, the Lester Prize, the Brisbane Portrait Prize, the Percival Portrait Prize and the International ARC Salon Competition.
You can sample her art throughout the hotel, inspired by the stories, landscapes and people from the local area.
