Old RSL Club

Description

Old RSL Club reflects on the disappearance of a familiar community gathering place and the questions that arise when shared spaces give way to private development. Through a vivid palette of electric oranges, hot pinks, deep blues and emerald green, Rose Marinelli transforms a once-familiar social setting into a colourful record of urban change, community memory and the legacy of places that no longer exist.

Bold outlines define the architecture, while a fragmented purple sky creates a dynamic backdrop. In the foreground, stylised figures gather around tables, their vivid forms suggesting conversation, companionship and the everyday social rituals that give a place its character. The flattened perspective and saturated colours intensify the scene, capturing the energy of a venue that was once part of the local landscape.

The work recalls an old RSL club that served as a place for gathering, remembrance and social connection. Such venues can become woven into the rhythms of community life, providing somewhere to meet friends, share a meal, attend an event or simply spend time in familiar company. Their significance often lies not in their architecture alone, but in the relationships and memories formed within them.

The club has since been demolished and replaced by an apartment development. The physical change represents more than the replacement of one building with another. A place associated with shared experiences has disappeared, while the land has taken on a new purpose within a changing urban environment.

This transformation raises broader questions about the value of community assets and the legacy they leave behind. When a long-standing gathering place is sold and replaced by private development, the significance of the transaction extends beyond the physical building. There is also the question of whether the value created through the sale continues to serve the community whose history and social life were once connected to the site.

Community institutions can represent more than the properties they occupy. They embody shared histories, social connections and a sense of belonging built over many years. When these places disappear, their contribution to community life can be difficult to measure in financial terms. The redevelopment of their former sites invites reflection on how we balance the demand for new housing with the preservation of places that have served a collective purpose.

Through its energetic colours and lively gathering of figures, Old RSL Club preserves a sense of the social life that once occupied the building. The warmth and activity of the scene contrast with the site’s subsequent redevelopment, creating a tension between collective memory and the changing priorities of urban land use.

Rather than simply opposing development, the artwork pauses to consider what may be lost when familiar community landmarks disappear. It asks viewers to think not only about the buildings that shape their surroundings, but also about the histories they hold, the people they serve and the decisions that determine their future.

Old RSL Club is both a tribute to a vanished gathering place and a reflection on community value. It invites us to consider how cities evolve, what remains when shared spaces disappear, and whether the benefits of change continue to serve the communities whose lives were once connected to them.