Peter Walsh 1958 – 2009
“The Light That Burns Twice As Bright Burns For Half As Long.” – Blade Runner.
This memorable quote from the seminal film Blade Runner, one of the artists’ favourite films, could well have applied to the life and times of noted artist Peter Walsh.
Mr Walsh died from cancer-related problems on Friday, January 16 leading to a moment of hushed silence and sadly raised wine glasses throughout the Australian art world.
Peter Walsh was renowned not only as a brilliantly skilled draughtsman and painter, but also as an extraordinary raconteur, a man of brilliant humour and searing intelligence.
Born on April 22, 1958 in Adelaide, Walsh travelled widely in his youth and settled for a time in London where he studied at the prestigious Wimbledon Art School during the late 1970s. Art and music were cornerstones of Walsh’s life and this was the time of punk. He had attended school in Melbourne with another maverick, Nick Cave, and would often talk of the bands he saw in London during this period such as the Sex Pistols and Joy Division.
Returning to Melbourne he graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts in the early 80s, a period during which he established numerous long-lasting friendships with such fellow artists as Gareth Sansom, Joan Letcher, Lewis Miller and Steven Cox.
In 1986 he impressed many with his first major exhibition at 200 Gertrude Street. A year later he dabbled with an acting career in Richard Lowenstein’s Dogs in Space alongside Michael Hutchence and Saskia Post.
But his clear trajectory was always going to be that of a visual artist, as numerous exhibitions – and the attention of curators, critics and collectors – would attest. His work resides in many of the major state and private collections both in Australia and the world.
Walsh became increasingly concerned with issues regarding the environment and race-relations within Australia. In 1998, at the invitation of the Mirrar Traditional Owners in Kakadu, he joined artists David Larwill and Mark Schaller to travel to the country threatened by the existing Ranger and proposed Jabiluka uranium mines. Works inspired by their experiences were later exhibited at Gould Galleries in South Yarra, with all proceeds donated towards the campaign to stop the mine. In 2003 he gained a residency at Arthur Boyd’s Bundanon to create a unique suite of works, revealing his sensitivity to the landscape. In 2007 Walsh travelled to Gunbalanya in Western Arnhem Land along with Guan Wei, Hari Ho, Linde Ivimey, Kate Rhode and Nick Mangan to work alongside the local artists Graham Badari, Gershom Garlngarr and Gabriel Maralngurra for an exhibition highlighting the shared creativity of indigenous and western artists at 24HR Art in Darwin.
Walsh’s last year revealed a tempestuous burst of creativity. He was selected to create a massive floating sculpture on the Yarra alongside such artists as Bruce Armstrong, Brook Andrew, Andrew Walsh, Maria Kozic and Christopher Langton. His most recent show as was an extraordinary success – a sell-out on opening night, Riots, at Block Projects Gallery revealed an artist at his absolute prime. Moving beyond his penchant for the surreal and inspired by events the world over, Walsh had researched in riveting detail the physiognomy of violent protest and rendered his large canvases with an explosion of controlled violence. Walsh’s fertile imagination managed to cross between the cartooning Hanna Barbera and the horror of Hieronymus Bosch.
For all of his boisterous and infectious love of life, there was a deep melancholy within Peter Walsh stemming from the tragic death of his sister Kate in 1996. Despite this, Walsh’s rapier wit, keen intelligence and overpowering enthusiasm would dominate any gathering. His friends were multitudinous and few could – or would want to – escape his charm.
Peter Walsh died quietly at home with Lisa Walker the mother of his two daughters Hazel and Alice, his mother Margaret and his brother Andrew. He will be profoundly missed.
