Gerry Parke

Group Think

2021

Acrylic, charcoal and spray paint on board

1835mm (H) x 1220mm (W)

Unframed

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Ships from Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland
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NZ$5,500.00
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Artist Statement

A lot of men are sold the narrative of male domination, but lead lives of frustration and servitude. No wonder they get angry. They are loaded with the shame because they feel inadequate, and being masculine they can’t talk about it. For many, masculinity is a fatal burden. (Perry, n.d.)

About the Artist

Gerry Parke

My practice is a continued investigation into how masculine identity is formed, developed and expressed in the world. But also, how others perceive, react and respond to this ‘Masculine Performance’ by unpacking how and why men learn, then propagate and perpetuate ideas of masculinity throughout their life. The works address the burden of masculinity, the burden bound up in the collective practice of performing masculinity: loneliness, depression, violence, conspicuous over-consumption and the propensity for risk-taking.

The performance of the painter becomes critical but how can this performance be calibrated to celebrate the potential of the medium while avoiding it being a simplistic celebration of all things male? What can paint contribute to the content of the work and, more specifically, how can paint represent and embody those notions, rather than merely re-presenting observed action via a photo referent. 

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