New show about nostalgia

FROM vintage typewriters to cassette tapes to the Nokia brick phones of the 2000s, an upcoming exhibition at Ross Creek Gallery is set to bring about happy memories for viewers.

An assemblage of household items from the 1940s to the early 21st century has been lovingly recreated in pencil-form as part of Cecile Michel’s Nostalgia show.

The graphite and charcoal piece Grandma’s Cake was inspired by Michel’s memories of her grandmother baking, and harkens back to her childhood love of meringues.

Working with graphite and charcoal on canvas, the East Gippsland-based artist has created 23 illustrations for the show over the course of a year.

“They’re all of objects that people are a bit fond of,” she said.

“I’ve got a lot of fond memories attached to the items like there’s an old typewriter or a slinkie that people would have had.

“It’s using realism and having something not too serious that people can relate to and enjoy looking at.”

Previously capturing different cultures as well as “serious” political subject matter, Michel said the new series is a conscious move towards lighter, more jovial fare.

“I needed something to get out of my head so I drew objects I could find that made me smile,” she said.

“It’s going back to a time when nothing was of worry and everything was simple and you just took things day by day.

“It’s nice to have a reminder that you can still get into that headspace by looking at those items and remembering what it was like.”

The show will mark her return to Ballarat, where she lived throughout most of the 2010s before relocating to Paynesville in 2020.

Her first solo exhibition was held at the Old Butchers Shop Gallery in 2022.

Each work in Nostalgia was created using reference photos of the objects, many of which were unearthed from various op shops.

Michel aims to display some of the drawings alongside their real-life counterparts.

She said she hopes attendees will come away from the show with the same happy feelings of nostalgia that were evoked for her in creating the works.

“I really like seeing people smile at my works and that’s what I want to get out of this,” she said.

“They can look at these objects and even if it’s the exact same as the one they’ve got or remember, they can have similar memories or even completely different ones but it’s still happy.”