All the colours of the Kitschenette

VISUAL artist Tegan Crosbie loves everything retro.

“My nana had a very 1970s kitchen with this amazing orange wallpaper, which I remember fondly,” she said.

“Whenever I saw that iconic 1970s patterning, or the colours, it always brought be back to that feeling of being with nana or papa at their house, sitting at the kitchen bench, eating pikelets.

“I’ve always had an affinity for that sense of nostalgia. I even have a sunflower from nana’s kitchen wallpaper tattooed on my foot.”

Earlier this year, Crosbie’s friend was cleaning out their house and had a huge haul of retro kitchenware.

“Because I’m a hoarder, I was like, I’ll take them,” she said. “I thought, wouldn’t it be lovely to recreate some of those designs as paintings, along with patterns from nana’s kitchen, and allow other people to go on that nostalgic journey as well.”

As a result, Crosbie has developed her first solo exhibition Kitschenette opening in May, working with the colour and flair of ‘70s browns, yellows and rusts, aqua blues, and even black and white.

“I’ve really enjoyed the recreation aspect of the pictures as well,” she said.

“I’ve been deliberate to follow them as accurately as I can, and they’re a different style to what I would normally, so as an artistic experience, this has pushed me.”

Kitschenette is set for Lumos Chiropractic in Sturt Street, which Crosbie said is a warm space with a retro feel, in contrast to traditional gallery spaces which can be clinical.

“I go to that chiropractor, and Leandra often mentioned she would like the space to be used as a gallery space as well,” she said.

“It’s a beautiful building with a big, blank wall with exposed brick adjacent. There’s lots of indoor plants, velvet couches. The feel I was going for. It’s more fun, and it suits the vibe.

“We’re having our opening afternoon on Saturday, 6 May at 2pm, and I’m going to serve cheese and bickies on the plates I’ve re-created, so people can see some of them in real life.”

The show will be open during business hours until Monday, 24 June.