Charlotte Wilson visits the studio of John Walsh - the inaugural Curator of Contemporary Māori art at Te Papa - to ask about the role of music in his life and work.
John Walsh's dream landscapes are inspired both by contemporary events and mythology: thundering waterfalls, wind-blown trees, imaginary beings with the faces of ancestral tiki, marakihau (mermen) or manaia (helpers and bringers of knowledge). The paintings, with their bold colours and distinctive brushwork, are unique and incredibly moving.
Of Aitanga-a-Hauiti and New Zealand Irish decent, Walsh grew up in Tolaga Bay on the East Coast. He was part of the early Māori arts movement Ngā Puna Waihanga, before becoming this country’s first Curator of Contemporary Māori Art at the National Art Gallery, now Te Papa Tongarewa, in 1993
Click Here for the Full Interview.
