Gina Parr

Gina Parr's vibrant abstract works balance minimalism, form and structure, exploring the liminal space between abstraction and figuration, absence and presence.

Nature, Memory and Identity

Nature, memory and identity serve as the cornerstone of Gina Parr's work. A childhood spent sea fishing for mackerel with her father, and at home with her mother's hoarding and mental health issues, inherently informs her practice. The work is imbued with the atmosphere and narrative of both experiences.

A Layered Process

Parr's paintings are formed through layers of oil, charcoal, pastel and acrylic, scratching, drawing, removing and adding into the surface, until reconciled.

Painting with a Camera

When not in the studio and whilst travelling, she paints with her camera, seeking her paintings within the marks, stains, colours and textures of distressed and weathered walls. Her intent is to frame these images and print them exactly as found. To date, Parr has produced photographic series from Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, India, Sri Lanka, Cuba, France, Spain, Morocco and most recently Italy. Her photographs are often mistaken for her paintings, revealing a continuing symbiosis between the two mediums.

Colour and Emotional Balance

Colour plays a central role across both practices: sometimes its absence excites her, sometimes she feels a visceral need for dark intensity, but the combination is always emotionally charged. This stems from an inbuilt, childhood need to find her space within the chaos of home, and leads to a longing for emotive and visual balance, one she hopes will speak to the viewer's own sensate experience.

Across both painting and photography, Gina Parr is seeking to find a topography that is wholly hers, formed out of past chaos, present state of mind and future expectations.