'Paradise'

by Emery Prize Winner Cerena Parkinson

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May 16th to May 31st

Private View: 6-8pm, 15th May. RSVP here

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​In Grammar, parenthetical information is considered marginal to the meaning of a clause. Parkinson relates the marginalized status of parenthetical information to the position of subaltern ontologies and epistemologies within the western canon. These narratives include immigrants, individuals who living in the socioeconomic conditions that define “the Global South” and the Black Atlantic diaspora. These identities exist within generational systems of colonial presence shaping various aspects of their lives, even the ability to simply live in the present moment.

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Parkinson’s work represents the powerful legacies of joy and thrival in the midst of these systemic realities. Her lived experience structures the ethos of her work and the research methodologies she has designed to respectfully document the communities she holds dear. Her practice of drawing from observation and imagination reflect the intimacy of the world in which she lives. From colourful and homegoing journeys, humorous adventures to uncanny dreamscapes, this exhibition employs the art of story telling to explore the beauty of life and coming into womanhood through her eyes.