Rachel Burke sees both mundanity and charm in Brisbane’s suburban streetscapes. Recognising how essential backyard and outdoor spaces are to the city’s identity, she has created Backyard Bliss as her own Brisbane-inspired dream world. Magic encases each everyday item through Rachel’s signature style of hand-crafted adornment, a technique which she calls “swamping”.
Using nostalgic, playful materials and saturated colour, Rachel imagines her own version of the colour, sunshine, sparkle and whimsy that Brisbane’s tourist posters promise but perhaps don’t always deliver.
City in the Sun artwork credits
Backyard Bliss 2021
Mixed media installation
Courtesy the artist
