Ivor Cantrill: Paintings and Ceramics is the first exhibition of Castlemaine-based autistic artist Ivor Cantrill at the Castlemaine Art Museum. Cantrill’s vivid works pulsate with colour, energy and joy as he catalogues friends and family in paint, or creates fabulous creatures from clay. Cantrill moved to Castlemaine in 2012 with his parents, renowned experimental filmmakers Corinne and Arthur Cantrill. Prior to that they had lived in Brisbane, Canberra, London, Oklahoma, and Melbourne, with the Cantrills’ film work taking them to diverse locations, from the Northern Territory, to Indonesia, Japan, Berlin and beyond. The title of the exhibition comes from a 78-minute experimental film made in 1995 by the Cantrills, featuring Ivor painting in their Brunswick garden. The filmmakers supported their son’s creativity by encouraging daily practices including painting, drawing, printmaking, ceramics, and animation. Cantrill had sell-out shows at ROAR studios in the 1980s and 90s, a major retrospective at Swan Hill Regional Gallery in 2012, and his work has been collected by numerous institutions including the State Library of Victoria.

Image credit: Ivor Cantrill, Ivor Doing Pottery, 1993, oil on board. Photo: Darron Davies.