ARTISTS
WHAT NEXT
JAKE WALKERWhy pay attention?
Jake Walker’s work at first glance is difficult to
characterise or compartmentalise. His work takes
some time to make, so it’s perfect for the slow burn
collector who wants to engage thoughtfully over
time. With a slew of solo shows already to his name,
Walker is represented in several public art collections
in Australia and New Zealand.What does he do?
Walker’s work is a glorious mash up of painting
and ceramics that aesthetically pays homage to the
1970s. The combination shouldn’t work but it does;
the resulting works are fascinating painting objects
that redefine what painting could be.What’s going on?
Walker say he’s “A painter, yes, but over the years
I have become more interested in the material
itself, the paint that is. I did a course in pottery five
years ago. I liked the logic of the process – the four
main steps: make, fire, glaze, fire again. I realised
that painting didn’t have to be as complicated as
I’d made it, it could also be a process.” As to the
ceramic frame structures he embeds the work in,
he says, “I can’t afford to build a modern house, so
see my frames as a way of making little pieces of
architecture to display paintings inside.”The artist says...
“I have always flown the flag for modernism. I would
describe what I do as informalism. I like art that is
rough and wonky.”
Alison Kubler❱ GALLERY 9, SYDNEY, PRESENTS WORK BY JAKE
WALKER AT AAF 2018, STAND D2.^21