Quick Facts
Biography
Erik Parker (born 1968) is a New York-based artist. He has had solo exhibitions at the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Connecticut; the De Appel in Amsterdam; the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Texas; Colette in Paris; Honor Fraser in Los Angeles; and Galleri Faurschou in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Life and Work
Erik Parker was born in Stuttgart, Germany but later moved to San Antonio, Texas. Parker attended the University of Texas at Austin with artist Peter Saul before receiving a master of fine art from Purchase College in New York.
Erik Parker is known for his precisely painted and organized worlds of chaos that exist within his brightly colored, intensely layered, highly saturated canvases. Parker's work depicts unique, fantastical scenes of biomorphic subjects and unworldly landscapes. Parker methodically paints each composition to the optical extreme creating an intense visual experience. His work maintains a premeditated sense of order all the while suggesting an underlying madness through his use of bold and fragmented forms. Parker employs many styles in his work, from graffiti to psychedelic album covers and cartoons. Drawing from elements of American subculture, Parker creates color infused paintings that illustrate his take on the pressing issues of our time.
Solo Exhibitions
| Year | Exhibition | Gallery/Museum | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Bye Bye Babylon | Paul Kasmin Gallery | New York, NY |
| 2012 | Too Mad to Be Scared | Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum | Ridgefield, CT |
| 2012 | Other side of Morning and Bermuda | Patricia Low Contemporary | Gstaad |
| 2011 | Re-Upped | Colette | Paris, France |
| 2011 | Focus: Erik Parker | Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth | Fort Worth, TX |
| 2010 | Endless Anytime | Honor Fraser | Los Angeles, CA |
| 2010 | Adapt | Galleri Faurschou | Copenhagen, Denmark |
| 2009 | Crisis Creation | Paul Kasmin Gallery | New York, NY |
| 2008 | Between Lines | Marianne Boesky | New York, NY |
| 2007 | Liner Notes | De Appel | Amsterdam |
| 2007 | Damage Control | Honor Fraser | Los Angeles, CA |
| 2006 | Half Cocked | Taka Ishii Gallery | Tokyo, Japan |
Awards
- Rema Hort-Mann Foundation Grant (1999)
- Purchase College 25th Anniversary Scholarship (SUNY Purchase College) (1997)
- Rose Scholarship (Visual Arts Department, SUNY Purchase College) (1997)
- Durhurst Family Scholarship (Visual Arts Department, SUNY Purchase College) (1997)
- Excellence in Painting (Department of Art &Art History, University of Texas at Austin) (1995)
- Merit Scholarship in Painting and Drawing (University of Texas at Austin)(1994)
- Denbela-Ortiz Galeria Outstanding Scholarship in Visual Art (San Antonio College) (1992)