"As a boy, growing up in the suburbs of brisbane, my strongest memories are of working in the backyard on whatever projects my family were involved in. My parents, grandparents and uncles were always finding creative ways of fixing things around the house like getting boats ready for camping trips away or working on cars to keep them going. They were always teaching and I was always learning.

My own creativite practice has evolved directly from growing up exposed to the working class post war ethos of "hands on", or it doens't happen. This is something I treasure from my past.

Nowdays, as a sculptor, I create work  through the process of fabricating directly.  Using the same "hands on" approach instilled in me by family.

I use this as a mindset framework to craft pieces that only reference themselves as original  creations while trying to maintain a farmiliar sense of place and connection with the natural environment that surrounds my studio."

Gabriel Parker

 

Brisbane based artist, Gabriel Parker, works primarily in steel. While his work is heavily abstracted, it aims to interpret the naturally occurring movements of animals and plant life.

  Parker teaches metal sculpture at the Brisbane Institute of Art. He has multiple outdoor public works across Brisbane and in private collections.