Beynon’s paintings, sculptures and installations are informed by a diverse range of pictorial traditions including Western and Eastern spiritual icons, comic books, animation, graffiti, calligraphy, and fashion. Dramas unfold within her unique iconography where ancient motifs are catapulted into the present.

This new body of work, Transcultural Icons, 2010, embraces the ever increasingly ‘transcultural’ society. While Beynon’s personal history is just one influence on her practice, it can be seen as both a starting point and a metaphor for her exploration of the complexities of identity and cultures. Beynon was born in Hong Kong to a Malaysian-born Chinese mother and Welsh father, living in Singapore, Germany and England before her family immigrated to Australia when she was four. Gleaning lucky charms, magical beasts and protective talismans from her own diverse cultural histories, Beynon’s embellished canvases share “good spirits” for navigating a challenging global environment.

The larger paintings in this exhibition confront the viewer with the confident gaze and hypnotic allure of Beynon’s Guardian Goddesses. Part self-portrait, part contemporary warrior women, these non-denominational guardians present as indefinable icons reminiscent of both the Goddess Gwanyin and different versions of the Madonna in their pose and elaborate backdrops. In contrast they are adorned in contemporary designer glam fashion, and sassy street wear; they are transcultural global citizens. At once protector and defender, the guardian figures adopt different guises in their quest to tackle issues of ethnicity, immigration, displacement and the anxiety of belonging.

Both within and alongside these portraits, dragons and dogs are often present, appearing as both companions and protectors. A blue and gold Chinese dragon appears fierce yet protective, its benevolent force is a symbol of strength and resistance. Beynon, born in Kowloon, ‘the city of 9 dragons’ and granddaughter to the late Chan Kee Loong (Loong meaning ‘dragon’) shares her affinity to this mythical creature with bold intensity. The ‘fu dogs’ or ‘lucky dogs’ are more playfully depicted, marking Beynon’s birth in the Year of the Dog. Some appear as chunky green canines with pink swirly manes and fangs displaying flashy grins, resembling the artists own rescued Staffy cross. The notion of “pure origin’ is once again challenged in the faces surrounding the artist. While the cross-breed is further exaggerated, the evident humour exudes a sensibility of adoration and protection.