Anna Walsh Greater London, United Kingdom
I am a British artist and designer working in London. I studied Art and Aesthetics at Cardiff (UWIC), and MA Book Arts at Camberwell College (UAL), graduating 2001. I combine traditional skills of observational drawing with digital design to create educational charts and maps, usually in the form of prints (digital or screen), and often with a subversive or humorous undertone.
My practice seeks to re-imagine and subvert the ways humans categorise and view the natural world, although my categorising is not scientific, but more ‘folk taxonomic’ in its nature; it is more social or based on local or personal knowledge and observations. I blend languages of science and art to create the intricate maps, diagrams and charts that invite the viewer to take a closer look; to find the subtle subversions, often with a wryly humorous undertone.
I often appropriate natural history educational illustration formats and vintage maps and diagrams, and recently also board games, to convey the themes I explore of anthrozoology (interactions between humans and other animals) and to realise my visual narratives. Charts and maps have a certain authority about them, and I am interested in questioning this and the accuracy of the information presented.
Research is an important part of my practice, and many hours of reading, searching, visiting exhibitions and listening inform the outcomes, as well as sparking the initial ideas. I am interested in fiction, hearsay and anecdotal information as well as that which is factual, and the intersections in between, which are often the most interesting and revealing about us and our interactions with nature/animals.
Artwork
Deneb , Cyanotype and paper, 2021
London Animal Stars, Archival digital print, 2019, £40 each
The Spot Set, Limied edition screen print, 2018, £95
The Pink Set, Limied edition screen print, 2019, £155
City Songbirds, Two colour screen print hand colured with watercolours, 2020, £225
Zoonotic Viral Spillover, 2020
Emissaries of Hope and Possibiity, Hand coloured (water colours) digital print, 2020
Celestial Creatures of the City, Limited edition screen print, 2019, £255
The North Circular Celestial Menagerie/ The South Circular Celestial Menagerie, Archival digital print limited edition prints, 2019, £80 each
Animal Legends of the 21st , Archival digital print, 2021, £95
Projects and exhibitions
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Comission for Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair editions07/11/2021 — ongoing I was comissioned by Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair to design an exclusive print for their Editions series. This is still availble to buy on their website. |
Royal Arsenal Woolwich, London | Details |
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Mayes Creative Starlight residency with the Royal Astronomical Society17/05/2021 — ongoing Online artist residency on the themes of starlight, in collaboration with Maye Creative and the Royal Astronimcal Library |
n/a | Details |
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Jungle19/04/2021 — ongoing "Jungle" is the second exhibition organised and curated by the @katmapped collaborative. It runs from mid-April 2021 online and explores how the concept of 'jungle', widely interpreted, has informed living artists' works and thought. My piece that was included is 'Zoonotic Viral Spillover' hand cloured digital print |
online, everywhere | Details |
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Jackson painting prize longlist17/03/2021 — ongoing My colour pencil drawing 'Dante in (fake) furlough' of my dog reclining on the sofa among many different fabrics was longlisted for the Jackson painting prize 2021 |
online, online | Details |
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Ex Libris competition, Trakai History Museum Lithuania04/01/2021 — 01/02/2021 Exhibition and catalogue of 'Ex-libris' labels on the theme of the unicorn for Trakai Peninsula castle in Lithuania |
Trakai History Museum Lithuania, Lithuania | Details |
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Class of 202013/12/2020 — 18/04/2021 Exhibition organised by Rod Kitson of art created during the crazy year of 2020 |
Surrey Quays Shopping Centre, London | Details |
Illustration and print open10/12/2020 — 19/12/2020 |
Deptford Does Art, London | Details | |
You Are Here12/11/2020 — 12/12/2020 Exhibition curated by KatMapped focussing on artists using maps |
online, online | Details | |
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Woolwich Contemporary Print fair 2020 online edition11/11/2020 — 13/12/2020 |
online, online | Details |
From the studio12/10/2020 — 25/10/2020 Exhibition showcasing some of the artists from Second Floor Studios Deptford Anthology site |
Deptford Does Art, London | Details | |
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London Bridge Hotel Open01/02/2020 — ongoing Juried exhibition for Southwark based artists on theme ‘urban nature’ |
London Bridge Hotel, London | Details |
Woolwich Contemporary Print fair 201907/11/2019 — 10/11/2019 |
Royal Arsenal Woolwich, London | Details | |
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Lessons in Things18/04/2019 — 21/04/2019 Solo exhibition bringing together work from the ongoing series 'Lessons In Things'. |
Newington Gallery (Former Newington Library), Old kent Road, London | Details |
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The Thames The ARTery of London07/12/2016 — 10/12/2016 Exhibition of contemporary art and sculpture exploring the themes of the River Thames in London |
Devon House, St Katharine's Way, St Katharine Docks, London | Details |