13 May 2023 to 2 March 2024
Artist statement
Frangipani Tea Time depicts three curious, common goldfish (which reside in the Hazelhurst Garden watercourse) swimming amongst a pink frangipani plant propagating in a pumpkin-themed teapot. This work is one of several inspired by the artist’s grandma's teapot collection. She chooses each teapot for its quirkiness and sturdiness. 'My grandparents' home in Wakeley inspires many of my illustrations and murals because my sisters and I spent so much of our childhood gallivanting around the backyard with the rest of the neighbourhood kids. We used to imagine we were the Powerpuff Girls climbing up my grandma's frangipani tree, so the three characters here represent Blossom, Buttercup and Bubbles. These teapot-themed murals are very much about childhood nostalgia. Each piece is a portal into a past feeling or memory.' The teapot is in the shape of a pumpkin, picked to symbolise the vegetation and green community Ben and Hazel Broadhurst had fostered.
About the artist
Christina Huynh (b. 1990) is an award-winning illustrator and muralist based in Western Sydney, Australia, who paints under the name STYNA. Her art practice involves creating murals, illustrations and picture books from differing mediums of pencil, watercolour, ink and pen to acrylic and aerosol.
With an enthusiasm for goldfish and all things fragile in our natural world, Christina creates stories that express her everyday thoughts, experiences and childhood memories. She finds inspiration in storytelling, human emotion, wayfaring and the heritage of people and place.
Upon completing her studies for a Bachelor of Design (Visual Communication) at Western Sydney University in 2011, Christina has been involved in various public art projects, including the Canal to Creek Public Art Program in 2020, one of Australia's most extensive public art programs as well as illustration projects, including illustrating 'Grandma's Treasured Shoes' by Coral Vass and published by the National Library of Australia in 2019.
Christina works with local councils and schools today, focusing on art-for-purpose and place-based projects and collaborations.
See the artist's website