John Walsh: Storyboard for New Zealand Movie / 1 - 26 August 2006

John Walsh's recent exhibition Storyboard for New Zealand Movie at John Leech Gallery included works characteristic of the artist's distinctive and recognisable oeuvre. The works exhibited illustrate the artist's ongoing interest in depicting dynamic narratives which are inspired by customary Maori narrative and still relevent to contemporary contexts.

Either half animal/human or half tiki/human, Walsh’s denizens patrol his landscapes in a realm prior to human existence; a realm located between this life and the next, between human and divine. Here patupaiarehe (fairies) congregate in the moonlight or perch high atop branches setting nets and snares. Kaitiaki (guardian beings) supervise a departed’s journey to the realm of Hinenuitepo (the underworld). Each vignette generates a dialogue that operates both within and across the works, their ambiguity allowing the viewer a certain freedom to bring their own imagination to each scene.

While Walsh continues to feature signature tiki figures set amidst ethereal vistas, a few new works signal an innovative new direction. These works contain figurative arrangements consistent with pare, the carved door lintels that feature above doorways at the entrance to Maori wharenui. Such carvings generally depict Hinenuitepo, the female deity and gatekeeper of the realm intersecting life and death. The narrative relates to man’s pursuit of immortality, the taboo of incest and a rationalisation of death. In his recent paintings Walsh maintains the customary configuration of a central figure flanked by manaia on either side in works such as Pare o Tane (2006) and Pare o Tumatauenga (2006), however the lead characters in this instance are the gods, Tane and Tumatauenga.

Contained within these narratives is the essence of a culture, effectively communicating universal concerns that define the human condition. Walsh notes that “…human history has been a pursuit of immortality…The story of the separation of Rangi and Papatuanuku is well-known but I’m more interested in the male/female relationships that are at the base of our belief and social systems. There are a lot of tragic stories in the news - dysfunctional families, abuse. I wanted to relate the events of the first family to contemporary family situations.” (John Walsh, 2002)