Natasha Walsh
The Voyeur (formerly Untitled), 2023
oil on copper
60 x 60 cm / 79.5 x 78.5 x 3.5 cm (framed)
Sitter: Natasha Walsh
Reference: Egon Schiele, The Hermits (Self-portrait with Gustav Klimt) (1912)
Sitter: Natasha Walsh
Reference: Egon Schiele, The Hermits (Self-portrait with Gustav Klimt) (1912)
This painting was completed in situ at N. Smith Gallery during a live performance at the end of 2023. The mirror serves as a doorway in my practice, through which...
This painting was completed in situ at N. Smith Gallery during a live performance at the end of 2023.
The mirror serves as a doorway in my practice, through which I create all my self-portraits. It's a liminal space where we confront our imaginary, symbolic, and real selves; where we mold our current identity through comparison with the other. This place is solidified into a specific state through my painting, which then undergoes transformation through the alchemy of my practice.
There, I found myself recreating poses from Egon Schiele's self-portrait 'The Hermits' in front of a large mirror for hours at a time, in the midst of an empty gallery. Through the female gaze, I reimagined this representation of the artist and the figure behind them, who historians believe to be his teacher and fellow artist Gustav Klimt.
Despite the people coming and going in the gallery space, I remained focused, embodying both the artist and subject, aiming to transplant these durational performances, which usually occur in private, into a public space.
The mirror serves as a doorway in my practice, through which I create all my self-portraits. It's a liminal space where we confront our imaginary, symbolic, and real selves; where we mold our current identity through comparison with the other. This place is solidified into a specific state through my painting, which then undergoes transformation through the alchemy of my practice.
There, I found myself recreating poses from Egon Schiele's self-portrait 'The Hermits' in front of a large mirror for hours at a time, in the midst of an empty gallery. Through the female gaze, I reimagined this representation of the artist and the figure behind them, who historians believe to be his teacher and fellow artist Gustav Klimt.
Despite the people coming and going in the gallery space, I remained focused, embodying both the artist and subject, aiming to transplant these durational performances, which usually occur in private, into a public space.