Daniel James Parker
The Gate Arts Centre, Cardiff
Until Sat 7 Dec
Daniel James Parker’s paintings are redolent of the parietal art found in prehistoric caves. These are dark, expressionist works that are part Rorschach test, part nightmare. Whereas Renaissance artists used falling light to embolden the objects of their paintings, Daniel James Parker explores landscapes suffocated of light, painting the darker side of the shadow. Inspired by how the abstract form of the human body and the natural world can commingle to resemble one ambiguous entity, the best of these artworks offer a surreal take on the sublime.
The exhibition is an accumulation of the artwork Parker produced over a six-year period whilst he studied at the University Of South Wales and the Royal Welsh College Of Music & Drama. His current occupation as a scenic artist for theatre is apt considering the sensory nature of these paintings: works that exploit various multi-media techniques to explore the confused harmony of synesthesia.
An attendee’s response to artwork of this ilk will likely be determined by their own emotional composition entering the exhibition. Feeling happy? You might leave feeling a little morose. Feeling sad? I believe the artwork on display could help to appease your misanthropy.
words JAMIE WALKER
Admission: free. Info: 029 2048 3344 / www.thegate.org.uk