Cetta Pilati is an award-winning Melbourne artist working across steel sculpture and hand- cut marble mosaic. She graduated from RMIT University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, majoring in Sculpture and later a Certificate IV in Engineering – Heavy Fabrication at Melbourne Polytechnic, developing the skills to fabricate her own steel works.

Pilati has worked with marble mosaic for almost two decades, learning traditional techniques in Ravenna, Italy. Her practice is firmly grounded in making by hand. Marble tesserae are individually cut and placed, while her steel sculptures are shaped, welded and finished by hand. She embraces this meticulous and deliberately slow process, believing that the time spent making and the physical connection between the hand and material remain important in contemporary art.

The strength of steel and the permanence of marble are central to her work. Drawing on ancient methods and traditional skills, Pilati creates contemporary works that explore movement, change and the human experience.

A continuing thread through Pilati’s practice is the pursuit of happiness and the choices we make along the way. This interest also led her to initiate the Feel Good Art Prize in 2022, creating an opportunity for artists to reflect on and share moments that bring joy and make us feel good with the aim of creating a happier and healthier community.

Through both her own work and the projects she initiates, Pilati continues to explore how small choices, simple moments and the act of making can influence how we experience happiness and the paths we choose to follow.