News Alert |

A Ballarat-based artist whose show, Fashion for Funerals, captivated audiences at last year’s Romancing the Skull exhibition is now set to take on three regional cities over the next two months.

Kat Pengelly, of Koshka, will work with the Biennale of Australian Art (BOAA) in Ballarat, the Ararat Gallery TAMA and the Bendigo Fashion Festival in conjunction with Artlands throughout September and October.

As part of BOAA, Kat will lead Art Camp with fellow Ballarat artist Melinda Muscat.

Art Camp offers free projects that encourage members of the community to assist professional artists in producing new work. There will be two Art Camp artists each week during BOAA working in various mediums at the Ballarat Mining Exchange from 10am-3pm daily.

Kat and Melinda are scheduled for 29 September to 5 October and will be creating wearable art.

The works will then be presented on 6 October as part of the Living Sculpture Parade at the Ballaarat Mechanics’ Institute from 7.30pm-12am with music by Ballarat band Motor City Sounds. All Art Camp projects will remain on exhibition at the Ballarat Mining Exchange until November 6.

Branching out further into Western Victoria, Kat has also been asked to design a workshop for Ararat Gallery TAMA inspired by their current exhibition Kylie on Stage – a major exhibition showcasing Kylie Minogue’s concert tour costumes.

Kat will guide participants in creating collars, cuffs and quills at the 7 October workshop between 11am-4.30pm.

Bendigo’s interest in Kat’s work was sparked from the success of her multi-media show, Fashion for Funerals, which captivated audiences at last year’s Romancing the Skull exhibition in association with the Art Gallery of Ballarat. Additional support that made Fashion for Funerals possible came from the City of Ballarat, Ballarat Arts Foundation and Federation University Australia.

This year Kat has partnered with the Bendigo Fashion Festival and Artlands, the biennale national arts conference hosted by Regional Arts Victoria, to exhibit her work. Garments and life-sized photos will be displayed as a free exhibition within the retail sector of the Bendigo Marketplace from 1-13 October.

This exhibition will then relocate below the Bendigo Marketplace to the underground carpark on 13 October as a feature of the Bendigo Fashion Festival – a ticketed event which includes the presentation of a short film about Fashion for Funerals produced by the ABC.

The Bendigo Fashion Festival will mark the third presentation of Kat’s successful Fashion for Funerals concept which premiered at the Nati (Natimuk) Frinj Biennale in 2015 with funding provided by the Regional Arts Fund administered by Regional Arts Victoria.

The collections on display in Bendigo are inspired by the Victorian era, the Danse Macabre, blood cells and black diamonds.

For Ballarat Mayor Samantha McIntosh, Kat’s work is a fine example of the incredible talent of local artists which support the concept of the Creative City Strategy.

“Following a community consultation process earlier this year, the City of Ballarat is currently leading the development of a strategy to elevate Ballarat to the status of regional Australia’s leading creative city and it’s people like Kat who help contribute to our growing reputation,” she said.

“The strategy, which is currently in draft form, will demonstrate to our community and visitors that Ballarat has an experimental and playful edge. 

“Kat’s Fashion for Funerals exhibition demonstrates all these things; it’s a fun and innovative portrayal of an emerging creative industry in Ballarat. And it’s presenting that image to our future cultural visitors.”

The Creative City Strategy will specifically focus on promoting and growing not just the traditional arts, but other forms of creative industries, including fashion design. 

It will be owned by the whole community, with everyone having a part to play – most importantly the creatives themselves – while assisting to elevate the work of local artists on a national scale.

Kat said it was opportunities like this which supported local artists, of all art forms, to leverage their exposure outside the traditional boundaries of their home town.

“Different art forms attract different audiences, the more we can permeate our society with diverse artistic content; the more happy, healthy and wealthy a community becomes,” she said.

Upcoming exhibition dates 29 September 29 – 5 October BOAA Art Camp, Mining Exchange Ballarat. 10am-3pm daily. Free to participate

6 October   BOAA Living Sculpture Parade, Mechanics Institute Ballarat. 7.30pm - 12am

7 October Ararat Gallery TAMA. Collars, Cuffs and Quills with Kat Pengelly

1-13 October Fashion and Photography Exhibition of ‘Fashion for Funerals’ for the Bendigo Fashion Festival and Artlands, at Bendigo Marketplace

13 October Fashion, Photography Exhibition and short film by ABC of ‘Fashion for Funerals’ for the Bendigo Fashion Festival and Artlands, at the underground car park of the Bendigo Marketplace.

For interviews with Kat Pengelly, please phone: 0439 398 159

Image credit: Fashion for Funerals - Kat Pengelly; Photography – Louisa West Studio; Model and makeup artist – Eve Ristrome-Gallimore; Hair- La Belladonna and; shoes- Preston Zly. A high-res copy of this image is available upon request.