About

David Parker investigates contemporary landscape through the medium of large-scale, black and white photography. Conceptually, the work demonstrates contemporary art’s vital ability to affirm our physical and metaphysical interactions with the world around us. Parker’s photographs reflect a deeper exploration of our tendency to glimpse meaningful forms hidden in the ordinary elements of our surroundings.

In this way, Parker’s Sirens act as a mirror of the human mind, often in humorous or unexpected ways. The solitary rock forms that rise over vast, calm seas in these images are discernibly geological masses, but Parker does not reveal specific locations in the titles of these works, nor does he include familiar landmarks within his visual frame. As such, the photographs leave behind geographic context and encourage feats of imagination, enticing us to take a closer look at the surfaces and the shapes of the rocks to search for the recognizable.

David Parker creates the distinctive spatial and temporal qualities of his images through complex technical procedures while shooting and in the darkroom. He tones his prints by hand in sepia and selenium, imbuing them with a degree of warmth and heightening their seductive appearance. Initially trained as an engineer, Parker turned to photography in the early 1980s. His photographs have been exhibited in the United States and Europe and have been the subject of four monographs, including the award-winning The Phenomenal World (Steidl/Edition 7L, 2001). Parker currently resides in England.