Shane Walsh

Shane Walsh’s paintings are the result of an interest in collage, both in a literal sense and as a conceptual framework for understanding the legacy of abstraction. His process begins with small-scale collages constructed from photocopies of various shapes and marks - some expressive, others graphic or digital - which respond to the history of abstract painting.  His interest in the technique owes as much to the punk and hip-hop ephemera of the artist’s youth as it does to modernist collage traditions. The photocopy itself also serves as an important metaphor. Just as an image repeatedly reproduced on a copy machine will become distorted over time, so our understanding of abstraction is altered as paintings are transmitted and reproduced through time and culture. For Walsh, these distortions are something to celebrate, and provide him with the opportunity to re-construct an image of abstraction that feels appropriate to his time and place.

Shane Walsh lives and works in Milwaukee, WI. He received his MFA from the University of Washington in 2006, and his BFA from Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design in 2001. Solo exhibitions include The University of Wisconsin-Madison; OS Projects, Racine, WI; Artstart, Milwaukee, WI; The Alice Wilds, Milwaukee; Portrait Society Gallery, Milwaukee; Thelma Sadoff Center, Fond Du Lac, WI; and Blindfold Gallery, Seattle. Group exhibitions include the Museum of Wisconsin Art, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, WI; Juxtapoz Projects at Mana Contemporary, Jersey City, NJ; Youngspace, New York, NY; Museum of Wisconsin Art, West Bend, WI; Open Gallery, Portland, OR; Usable Space, Milwaukee; Transients Gallery, St. Louis, MO; and Francine Seders Gallery, Seattle. Walsh is a three-time Mary Nohl Suitcase Fund recipient, and has received press in New American Paintings, Art F City, Artsy, ArtMaze Magazine, Shepherd Express, and Journal Sentinel. Walsh recently completed a residency in Alfred University at Düsseldorf, Germany.