Potter and painter’s golden pantomime

FROM the first day of August, The Ballarat Art Gallery is set to show collaborative art collection, the golden pantomime.

The exhibition will include Ruby Pilven’s handcrafted porcelain and stoneware ceramic pieces alongside Madeleine Cruise’s paintings of interior scenes and homewares.

A selection of experimental collaborative art works from the two will also be on display.

The golden pantomime exhibit will largely explore the concept of still life as a spectacle and moments from the artist’s lives.

As an established painter and ceramicist, the pair feel at home telling stories through their art.

“A lot of our work is about interior and home, it’s self-referential and symbolic. We included personal narratives in the show from

stories of nights out and bits of gossip so it’s quite colloquial,” Cruise said.

While working at the art department at Ballarat Grammar together the two realised they had a lot in common.

“It was a natural pairing of styles and interests to team up. I work from life, interiors and homewares and things that you see all around you and Ruby makes beautiful vessels that can be used in and around the house,” Cruise said.

With Ballarat being their shared home, the collection naturally contains references to the city’s architecture and life.

“There are things in the exhibition that reflect buildings in Ballarat and our experiences living in here,” Pilven said.

As a further nod to the city’s rich history the two agreed early on that the word golden must feature in the exhibition’s title.

“Golden needed to be in there, not just because we’re in Ballarat, but it’s also in Ruby’s work and I’d unintentionally started adding some nuggets of gold to my paintings as well,” Ms Cruise said.

The word pantomime, which is the other half of the title, is a gesture to the theatrics of their art.

“The pots are like protagonists in theatre, they’ve got their own personalities,” Pilven said.

Cruise added, “Theatre and performance, shows and storytelling have always been there in my work.”

Although they favour differing artistic forms the two took inspiration from each other’s processes while working together.

“Once Madeleine had a few finished works, she brought them out here and I was able to look at them and directly make from the colours,” Pilven said.

“I’ve found it great working together because it’s made me think differently about objects and my work.”

Cruise agreed that the collaboration had been eye opening.

“I’ve learnt a lot about ceramics in general since starting this working relationship with Ruby,” she said.

“The planning and conceptual development starts a lot earlier. There needs to be a clear plan and intention because there are so many variables.”

The artists also credited their creative inspirations to their surroundings and everyday lives.

“When I go on a holiday, or for a walk or look at a sunset, I just take photos. I also look through ceramic books, magazines and work from there,” Pilven said.

Cruise added

that she has little control over her inspiration sources.

“When I work it’s like osmosis, things come in that I don’t even realise influence me and then come out in a painting,” Cruise said.

While showing in a gallery is a dream come true for both artists, Cruise said it adds an extra step to the creative process.

“Not only do we have our own works and practices, but it’s almost like a third person is introduced as you go into the gallery. As you start to curate and tell stories, it becomes its own thing,” she said.

The pair agreed that they felt honoured to be represented and shown within a public institution.

“To realise my work is going to be in the same room as other artists I look up to, it’s just unbelievable,” Pilven said.

The golden pantomime will show at The Ballarat Art Gallery Saturday 1 August to Sunday 22 November.