Catherine Parker: It’s (still) a Beautiful World

Overview

Travel often has the effect of making the world feel simultaneously smaller and larger. As you immerse yourself in different languages, customs and landscapes, it becomes clear that there are commonalities among all people — and at the same time, much more diversity and richness than previously imagined.

Long-term globetrotter and mixed-media artist Catherine Parker beautifully captures these kinds of paradoxes in her new exhibition, It’s (still) a Beautiful World. Her works are at once both airy and detailed, with large expanses of restful, dreamlike colour punctuated by detailed icons, animals and landscapes that remind one instantly of particular parts of the world — particularly India, which Parker has visited more than 20 times, and Australia, where she makes her home. Geometric lines in neon colours create a visual metaphor for how we connect with the world through travel and exploration.

It’s (still) a Beautiful World opens at Spiro | Grace Art Rooms with an artist talk followed by opening night event on 22 August. The exhibition continues to 12 September.

Image: Catherine, Parker, ‘It's (Still) a Beautiful World Part 1’, 2015, Acrylic and ink on board, 96X120cm