alex wanders ― built beauty

Alex Wanders sees beauty in Hobart’s often overlooked, yet iconic, structures. And his painting of a distinctly Tasmanian gazebo has drawn national attention.

Hobart’s Railway Roundabout; the Cat & Fiddle Arcade; even the diving tower of the Aquatic Centre have all been lovingly recorded by Alex’s brush “I view these structures as cultural markers.” But, it’s his latest work, Gazebo – a tribute to a “simple structure that has seen so much” in the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Garden’s – that is really sparking interest.

Alex is a finalist in South Australia’s Fleurieu Biennale Art Prize. And, while the gazebo’s interesting shape caught his artistic eye, drama played out under its roof is the real inspiration. “Over the years people congregated here for all sorts of joyful events from picnics to weddings.”

But there is also a dark undercurrent, felt in the long shadows of this pared-back abstract. Gazebo is also about disconnect and place. In the 1880’s we imposed this little slice of Europe into our imposing Botanic Gardens. “The same place that would once have also been an important garden for our First Nations people.”

Image credit: Alex Wanders, Gazebo, Royal Botanical Gardens, 2024, acrylic on canvas, 114 x 114 cm