‘My practice thrives on experimentation… I actually don’t enjoy confronting my reflection. At times the vulnerability of this can be very disheartening and unpleasant.’
N.Smith Gallery is delighted to announce Sydney-based artist Natasha Walsh has joined the gallery family.
Known for winning the Kilgour Prize, Mosman Prize, and Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship (all within 3 months) in 2019, Walsh has recently returned from her residency at the prestigious Cité International des Arts in Paris – marking her return to the Australian art world.
Natasha Walsh’s practice is informed by an understanding of the artist as an alchemist. Known for her transformation of pigments on copper surfaces, Walsh’s work acutely observes figures that emerge from the surface. ‘From the moment that I prepare the [copper] surface, it begins to naturally oxidise. I experiment with applying different ground pigments which change colour in response to this process. These paintings visibly age as I work on them. As such, my attempt to transfix time is inherently impossible and this interests me.’
Walsh has been a recipient of multiple awards, prizes, and scholarships, including The Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship, Mosman Art Prize, and The Kilgour Prize, and has been a finalist in The Archibald Prize four times, The BP Portrait Award (London National Portrait Gallery), The Royal Scottish Academy Annual Exhibition (Edinburgh), and The Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition (London).
N.Smith Gallery is located at 6 Napier Street Paddington
Featured image : Natasha Walsh in the Brett Whiteley Studio. Image courtesy Sydney Morning Herald, taken by Christopher Pearce.