Natasha Walsh
The mirage (self-portrait), 2026
oil on copper
37.5 x 31.5 cm (plate), 53.5 x 48 cm (framed)
Finalist in the Archibald Prize
Finalist in the Archibald Prize
‘The blue face is a reflection on the glass – a ghostly superimposed image allowing me to finally inhabit an environment I have previously only observed,’ says Walsh. ‘As the...
‘The blue face is a reflection on the glass – a ghostly superimposed image allowing me to finally inhabit an environment I have previously only observed,’ says Walsh.
‘As the granddaughter of migrants, I have used the window as a symbol of both longing and boundary; the threshold where I have often felt like a voyeur on the Australian landscape. By mirroring my image against the flora, I move from observer to inhabitant, navigating a sense of place through the act of looking. While the flesh-toned hand in the foreground reaches for the glass, the window begins to open, offering a glimpse of the unobstructed landscape beyond and bridging the divide between the internal self and the external world.’
‘As the granddaughter of migrants, I have used the window as a symbol of both longing and boundary; the threshold where I have often felt like a voyeur on the Australian landscape. By mirroring my image against the flora, I move from observer to inhabitant, navigating a sense of place through the act of looking. While the flesh-toned hand in the foreground reaches for the glass, the window begins to open, offering a glimpse of the unobstructed landscape beyond and bridging the divide between the internal self and the external world.’