David Larwill_Stories in colour and form

DAVID LARWILL STORIES IN COLOUR AND FORM

Olsen Annexe | 2 - 26 July, 2025

Olsen Annexe is proud to present David Larwill's Stories in Colour and Form. This exhibition brings together a vibrant collection of prints and monotypes that reflect Larwill’s unmistakable style. Known for his blend of childlike originality, bold simplicity, and a sophisticated visual language, he is remembered as one of Australia’s leading figurative expressionists.

Larwill’s expansive practice offers a direct, often autobiographical visual diary of sociopolitical attitudes. His stylistic mark-making is inherently joyful, employing strong narrative motifs which reflect the artist’s own lived experiences. Drawing on familiar themes—family, friends, street life, the beach, and parties—as well as his deep appreciation for Indigenous art, his work resonates with warmth and authenticity.

Throughout his career, the development of his personal style was organic and progressive. Driven by a desire for visual harmony, Larwill avoided focusing on single objects, instead opting to group multiple figures together, creating compositions that are both dynamic and geometrically balanced.

During his lifetime, Larwill exhibited widely throughout Australia and overseas, and his work has been translated by the internationally renowned Victorian Tapestry Workshop into several giant tapestries, the largest hanging in the EsplanadeTheatres on the bay in Singapore. He is represented in the National Gallery of Australia, numerous State and Regional Galleries, and in the British Museum, London

Stories in Colour and Form is open in the Olsen Annexe from 2 to 26 July.