Leo Koenig Inc. is pleased to announce a solo exhibition of new paintings by Erik Parker entitled, “Let the Good times Roll”. The work in this exhibition marks a subtle shift in Parker's paintings; Whereas in previous work, text and image were on nearly an equal footing, here, image, color and form are central. In the past, Parker's compositions tended to be symmetrical formulations, the canvas dissected with form between lines of text. In Parker's new crop of paintings, the forms are organic, sprouting and asymmetrically, evolving within the entire frame. The impact of the paintings arise from a color sense that borders on psychedelic. As well, Parker has refined a graphic approach to his paintings that articulates a sophisticated sense of space while consistently mining a litany of pop and art-historical influences. The effect is a group of works that are immediately engaging while remaining eminently challenging.
Parker's work goes even further however. As always, Parker is a chronicler of recent, and sometimes, not so recent history. In the past, the themes of his paintings have ranged from pop to punk, hooliganism to hero worship, poetic justice to political satire. Never veering from controversy, Parker focuses in on issues that challenge the viewer on multiple levels. And issues that interest the artist are meticulously researched and distilled within an imagery that invites contemplation. Our sense of conscience, or collective cultural memory is piqued by a mere mention of a name or source. In this way, Parker's “lists” are meant to serve not as a cursory glance towards a complex theme, but to act more as neurons firing in the synapses of a collective consciousness. Topics that are included in this exhibition for instance range from the outcome of our recent presidential election, the mounting conflict in Darfur, to the gathering threat of America's evangelical movement to the seperation of church and state by promoting the idea of “creationism” at our public schools and parks. Added to this list of works are two paintings that are so intensely personal that the artist refers to them as “Self-Portraits”.
Throughout, Parker avoids moralizing, though the impact is resonant. Cartoony figuration often belies the weightiness of the words. Bemused misspellings and letters written backwards seem to negate their own import. Instead of obfuscating however, these devices collude to lend an arcane power to the entire composition.
Erik Parker has been included in numerous museum exhibitions such as “Nation” at the Frankfurter Kunstverein, “Painting Pictures”, curated by Gys van Tyl at the Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg, “One Planet Under a Groove” at the Bronx Museum, (traveling to the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis & Museum Stuck, Germany), and “The Americans” curated by Mark Sladen at the Barbican Art Galleries in London. As well, Erik Parker has had a solo show at the Cornerhouse Contemporary Art Museum in Manchester. He has exhibited extensively in Europe and Japan in such galleries as Paolo Curti & Co. in Milan, Arndt & Partner in Berlin, Jablonka Galerie in Cologne and Taka Ishi in Japan. Erik Parker lives and works in New York City.
For more information or visuals, please contact Elizabeth Balogh or Nicole Russo at the gallery.
