NYAB Event - Erik Parker "Crisis Creation"

Erik Parker "Crisis Creation"

Paul Kasmin Gallery

This event has ended.

Employing a unique amorphous architecture to his work, Parker creates bold and graphic semi-portraiture. These paintings begin with a bright, geometric background, layered upon with seemingly-random drips, dollops, beads and blotches. The result is an anthropomorphic figure, composed of various shapes, which only hint at conventional countenance. Facial features emerge from gaping portholes, rising to the foreground, while contemporaneously melting into one another. The dichotomy inherent to his visual vocabulary is stunning –vividly colorful forms stretching towards the viewer, hallucinogenic visuals come to mind, yet all the while keeping a sense of chaotic coalescence. Amidst these polarities, Parker impressively cultivates a unique visual experience for the viewer.

While maintaining his individual sense of space and dynamism, Parker is deeply influenced by a variety of subcultures ranging from underground comics, illustration, graffiti and music. The fluid, intense visuals of Parker's works are informed in part by the patchwork of musical sources he listens to, none more evident than psychedelic rock. Furthermore, in his studio, Parker is often listening to lectures and discussions on conspiracy theory – the ultimate foray into layered accounts and suggestions of human participation. Consequently, the obvious shapes and colors, with cartoon-like doodles combine to create a vocabulary of "ordered disorder" – here, Parker's talent continues to blossom in this new collection of work.