Pat Larter


Patricia Larter was an Australian artist who worked across mail art, video, photography, performance and painting. She was "one of the leading figures in the movement known as 'international mail art'". She is credited with coining the term "femail art" that was taken up by other mail artists around the world.

Life

Born 8 July 1936 in Leytonstone, Essex Patricia Florence Larter the elder of two daughters Pat and her family lived at Canvey Island. Her father died of TB when she was young and her wages were needed to support the family.
Pat met her long time collaborator and husband Richard Larter at Perfect Lambert & Co where they were both employed. They married on 18 February 1953 when Pat was just sixteen and migrated to Australia in 1962. They had five children Lorraine, Nicholas, Derek, Diane and Eliza.
Settling in Luddenham, New South Wales the Larter's stayed until 1982 when they moved to Yass, New South Wales.
Pat died on 6 October 1996, an untimely death from cancer.

Art

Larter's art aimed to "parody what she described as 'malegiven sexual stereotypes', largely focusing on the ephemeral forms of performance and mail art". She "exchanged art with an enormous range of international artists and represented Australia in all major exhibitions of postal art". "Her collection of mail art is the most comprehensive one accumulated in Australia." "Her foray into painting was brief, interrupted by her death in 1996."
Femail Art’, her "feminist answer to mail art" was taken on by female mail artists worldwide including Anna Banana who used the term "in the title concept of VILE magazine vol. 6, no 3"

Pat and Dick

Larter features in many of Richard's paintings and is frequently described as his muse. The boundaries between their individual practices often overlap. "Under Pat’s direction, Richard took the photographs of her that she used in her work but he also used those photographs as sources for his paintings. The pair also produced many collaborative super-8 films and prints." Their individual work shares themes and motifs.
In her mail art all correspondence and mailings posted by Larter, that included works made individually or in collaboration, were signed "Pat & Dick" or "Pat and Richard Larter".

Exhibitions

Selected Solo Exhibitions

Selected bibliography