Tom Adair’s neon artworks cast midcentury modernism in a new light

Artist Tom Adair’s debut solo show Home gives Melbourne’s midcentury modern architecture a new glow.

The works – on view at Metro Gallery in Victoria – combine airbrushing with graffiti and neon lighting. Melbourne-based Adair first documents the dwellings on camera before digitally translating them into monochrome halftone renderings, then adding dots and lines by hand using an airbrush.

‘270 Degree Sea Views’. Courtesy of Tom Adair

‘A Short Two Minute Walk to the Beach’. Courtesy of Tom Adair

‘Bushland Beauty’. Courtesy of Tom Adair

‘North Facing with Palms in the Front’. Courtesy of Tom Adair

‘Golden Opportunity’. Courtesy of Tom Adair

‘The neon lights are then bent to specific shapes that accentuate the design lines of the architecture,’ explains Adair. The artist is currently being mentored by one of Melbourne’s only neon benders, and is learning the craft himself.

Left to right: ‘Green Leafy Street’ and ‘Superbly Positioned’. Courtesy of Tom Adair

Explaining his draw to midcentury modernism, the artist adds: ‘I have always had an appreciation for good architecture from an early age thanks to my father, and have always longed to find or build the perfect family home.’