Juxtapoz Magazine - Erik Parker Has the "Ice Breaker"

"Ice Breaker is Erik Parker's second solo exhibition at VETA by Fer Francés, holding a new body of work created specifically for this occasion. In this new project, the artist expands his distinctive visual language-rooted in Pop Art, the underground movement, and the American psychedelic subculture-into a series that is at once hallucinatory and precise. His still lifes introduce new spatial dynamics: bricks and their shadows defy logical light sources, producing a disorienting effect that steers the viewer into a heightened, almost psychedelic state."

"Deeply inspired by the American counterculture, underground magazines, and the psychedelic aesthetics of the 1970s, Parker creates works that oscillate between idealized dreamscapes and irreverent portraits, and he transforms everyday references into layered compositions that challenge conventional readings of painting. His process involves working on multiple canvases at once, beginning with bold silhouettes, layering collaged visual languages and symbols, and culminating in saturated, fluorescent explosions of color."

"Born in Stuttgart, Germany in 1968 and raised in Texas, Erik Parker settled in New York in the late 1990s, where he studied under Peter Saul, an influential figure whose rebellious spirit continues to resonate in his practice. Parker's art revels in the fantastical, while embedding subtle yet urgent social critiques. Environmental concerns, the absurdities of war, and the specter of violence surface amidst his vibrant worlds, revealing an artist committed to both joy and resistance."

Erik Parker presents a new body of work that expands his visual language rooted in Pop Art, underground movements, and American psychedelic subculture. His still lifes introduce disorienting spatial dynamics where bricks and shadows defy logical light sources, inducing a heightened, psychedelic sensation. The paintings fuse neon palettes, playful yet risky compositions, and recurring motifs—heads, hieroglyphs, landscapes, and symbols—into an alternative pictorial architecture. Parker works on multiple canvases simultaneously, building bold silhouettes, layering collaged visual languages, and culminating in saturated, fluorescent color explosions. The works blend idealized dreamscapes with irreverent portraits while embedding social critiques on environment, war, and violence.

Read at Juxtapoz