Gerry Parke

I care because you do

2021

Acrylic, charcoal and spray paint on board

1400mm (H) x 1200mm (W)

Unframed

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Ships from Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland
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NZ$3,000.00
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Artist Statement

We invest in looks that are associated with the sort of attention we desire. One reaction to the redundancy of the traditional male role has been the rise of a kind of cosmetic hyper-masculinity. I see it in the overtly performed version of working class manhood. The shiny muscles, tattoos, loud music and loud cars all hope to pump out the message that he’s still a real man despite the collapse of heavy industry and a clearly defined status. (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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