Spiegeltent

Charlotte Tatton is an emerging UK-born artist based in Adelaide. Prominently working in oil paint, she focuses on capturing 20th century interiors and objects, exploring themes of domesticity, pattern and abstraction. Using collage and bold colours, Tatton creates compositions which play with spatiality, movement and an emphasis on colour theory. She completed her Bachelor of Visual Art at Adelaide Central School of Art in 2021.

Gleaning from a collection of Adelaide Cabaret Festival programs, the painting delves into the rich tapestry of cabaret. A celebration of lush fabrics and costumes, endearing mascots, and the enchanting interplay of stage lighting and glittering textures. The stacked and layered composition depicts a vibrant tableau that toys with scale, space, and movement. The artist contrasts the angular tent-like architecture of Adelaide Festival Centre, the venues that house these captivating performances, with the natural curves of fabric and figurative elements.

The colour palette is a lively mix of red, pink, gold, and teal encapsulating the diverse spirit of cabaret. Rendered in a realistic style, the work accentuates the torn and tattered edges of these collaged programs, serving as a homage to the Adelaide Cabaret Festival's illustrious history.

The intricate density of the composition mirrors the immersive yet intimate and whimsical essence of cabaret spectacles. Viewers are invited to revel in the visual feast before them and, in doing so, catch a glimpse of cabaret's enduring allure, where the past dances gracefully with the present.