Walter Koch | The Work
Walter Koch is a mixed media painter who started as a child with a box of crayons brightly colouring the rectangles formed by the columns and lines of large ledger sheets at his Dad’s office in Mozambique.
Today when he paints the process involves a compelling dialogue between him and the canvas. The conversation starts with the first colour/shape that is put down and grows into phrases of engaging bold colours and forms. Each phrase evokes a response and so the work evolves and explodes into painted paragraphs, chapters and essays. The process discovers stimulating new ground and the end is often unexpected.
His childhood love for vibrant colour is evident and the shapes flow with spur-of-the-moment gestures that form fresh graphic marks on the canvas. The shapes - inspired by tagging, graffiti, symbols, random patterns and African rock paintings – are bold visual elements that express fun and a cheerful enjoyment of life.
Koch also works on paper using watercolour and airbrush. He explores the transparency of this medium that allows light to reflect from the surface of the paper which gives a luminous effect of wet colour melting into wet colour contained by the masked hard edge of airbrushed areas.
CV
Born in Mozambique to a German/Portuguese father and a Portuguese mother. Educated primarily in South Africa and moved to the UK in 1995.
EDUCATION
1970/73 Diploma in Print Making – Pretoria Art School, South Africa. (UK equivalent BTEC Higher National Diploma /NVQ Level 4.)
Exhibitions and Events
2011 JULY – Banquet of Sight, Sensations and Pleasures – Joint Exhibition with Carl Koch and Jean Denison -The Fire Station Gallery, Windsor – United Kingdom
2010 MARCH– Group Exhibition at Galeria Morgados da Pedricosa, Aveiro, Portugal
OCTOBER – 15 Exposicao Internacional de Artes Plásticas de Vendas Novas, Portugal
2009 JULY – Exhibition at the Espaco Mercure, Lisboa, Portugal
NOVEMBER - Group Exhibition at the Galeria Bertrand – Aveiro, Portugal
December – Group Exhibition at the Galeria de Artes, Sines, Portugal
2008 MARCH– Group Exhibition at the Galeria Bertrand – Aveiro, Portugal
OCTOBER – Group Exhibition at Museu do Café, Rio Maior, Portugal
2007 JULY - Group Exhibition at the Galeria da Capitania de Aveiro, Portugal
2006 MARCH - Ecos de Africa Group Exhibition at the Museu de Viana do Castelo - Portugal
JUNE - Percursos Lusofonos, Group Exhibition at the Bertrand Forum Aveiro – Portugal
2005 JULY - Group Exhibition at the Galeria das Comunidades Portuguesas Lisbon - Portugal
NOVEMBER - Group Exhibition at the Sandton Civic Art Gallery in Sandton – South Africa
2004 JULY - Group Exhibition at the Galeria de Artes Valenca - Portugal
SEPTEMBER - Vendas Novas 10th Expo Internacional – Portugal
2003 APRIL - Group Exhibition at the Centro de Exposicoes de Fortaleza de Sagres - Portugal
OCTOBER - Vendas Novas 9th Expo Internacional – Portugal
DECEMBER – Belo Belo Braga - Portugal
2002 JUNE - Group Exhibition at the Instituto Camoes at Casa de Arines in Vigo - Spain
2001 APRIL - Group Exhibition at the Claustros do Forte de S. Francisco in Chaves - Portugal
JUNE - Group Exhibition at the Galeria Multimaios in Espinho – Portugal
2000 FEBRUARY - Group Exhibition at the Jardim Paulista (Expo do Acervo) in Sao Paulo - Brazil
MAY - Opera en Aveiro – Portugal
1999 MARCH - Group Exhibition at the Galeria Casa de Portugal in Sao Paulo – Brazil
JUNE - Group Exhibition at the Galeria Instituto Camoes in Brasilia - Brazil
JULY - Group Exhibition at the Galeria Banco Bandeirantes in Sao Paulo – Brazil
1998 JUNE - Group Exhibition at the Galeria Casa de Portugal in Sao Paulo - Brazil
AUGUST - Group Exhibition at the Casa de Macau in Interlagos – Brazil
1997 JUNE - Group Exhibition at the Galeria Barata in Lisbon - Portugal
AUGUST - Group Exhibition at the Galeria B.F.P. in Porto Alegre – Brazil
1996 JUNE - Group Exhibition at the Galeria Casa de Portugal in Sao Paulo - Brazil
NOVEMBER - Group Exhibition at the Galeria Instituto Camoes in Brasilia – Brazil
1995 JUNE - Group Exhibition at the Galeria do Centro Portugues in Caracas - Venezuela
1994 JUNE - Exhibited at the Galeria Hilton in Caracas – Venezuela
JULY - Group Show at the Palos Grandes (Expo do Acervo) in Caracas – Venezuela
OCTOBER - Group Exhibition at the Galeria Barata in Lisbon - Portugal
NOVEMBER - Group Exhibition at the Galeria Sheraton in Porto – Portugal
1993 FEBRUARY - Group Exhibition at the Mandela Galery at the Witwatersrand University in Johannesburg – South Africa
JULY - Group Exhibition at the Galeria Fedcamaras in Caracas – Venezuela
1992 MARCH - Group Exhibition at the Galeria do Centro Portugues in Caracas - Venezuela
1991 FEBRUARY - Group Show. Pintores e Escultores de Mozambique at the Galeria Estoril – Portugal
JULY - Group Exhibition at the Lou Lim Yok Gallery in Macau – South China
SEPTEMBER - Group Show at the Hagenhof Gallery in Johannesburg – South Africa
NOVEMBER - Group Exhibition at the Crowne Plaza in Lisbon – Portugal
1990 MARCH - Group Exhibition at the Portuguese Embassy in Maputo – Mozambique
MAY - Group Exhibition at the Gencor Gallery, RAU in Johannesburg – South Africa
AUGUST - Group Exhibition at Goldfields in the Vaal Triangle – South Africa
OCTOBER - Group Exhibition at the Fundacao Dionisio Pinheiro in Agueda – Portugal
1989 JULY - Group Exhibition at the Sandton Sun in Sandto – South Africa
NOVEMBER - Group Exhibition at the Galeria do Casino in Estoril – Portugal
1988 JULY - Group Exhibition Portfolio Gallery in Durban – South Africa
AUGUST - Group Exhibition at the Galeria Turismo in Leiria – Portugal
1987 JULY- Portuguese Art In SA at the Leephy Gallery in Bergdron – South Africa
OCTOBER - Group Exhibition at the Galeria Grade in Aveiro – Portugal
1986 APRIL - Group show at the Witwatersrand Universaty. Portuguese Cultural Week – South Africa
MAY - Group Exhibition at the AARM in Germiston – South Africa
JULY - Group Exhibition at the Galeria Albatroz in Cascais - Portugal
OCTOBER - Group Exhibition at the Galeria Turismo in Estoril – Portugal
1985 OCTOBER - Group Exhibition at the Diamond Corner in Johannesburg – South Africa
NOVEMBER - Group Exhibition at the SA Association of Arts N Tvl in Pretoria – South Africa
1984 MAY - Exhibited at the Jewish Guild Gallery in Sandton – South Africa
NOVEMBER - Group Exhibition at the SA Association of Arts N Tvl in Pretoria – South Africa
1983 Co-founded TAM (Tertulia de Artistas de Mocambique) with Rodrigo Pombeiro – Johannesburg, South Africa
1981 Invited to exhibited at the Republic Festival Exhibition at the Durban Harbour Gallery, Durban, South Africa
1979 Joint Exhibition with Carl Jeppe and Dannie de Wet at SA Association of Arts N Tvl, South Africa
1978 Invited to exhibit at SA Association of Arts N Tvl – World in Conflict, Pretoria, South Africa
1977 Invited to Exhibit at the Prestigious Opening of New SA Association of Arts N Tvl Gallery at the Volkskas Bldg, Pretoria, South Africa.
1974 Co-founder of Art Studios Pretoria with Carl Jeppe, Lynn Jeppe and Elaine van Deventer, Pretoria, South Africa
1973 Joint Exhibition with Ian Redelinghuys At the SA Association of Arts N Tvl, Pretoria, South Africa
1972 New Signatures Exhibition at the SA Association of Arts N Tvl (Prize Winner)Pretoria, South Africa
1971 Exhibited at Highpoint – Hillbrow Exhibition, Johannesburg, South Africa