Exhibitions & Art Fairs.
Enduring Proof: 30 Years of Contemporary Printmaking in Focus
Printmaking is often thought of as a process of multiplication, yet within each edition lies something singular—a mark of artistic exploration, a moment of innovation, a lasting impression. Enduring Proof brings together a selection of prints created over the past 30 years, revisiting the ways artists have engaged with the medium as a space for experimentation, refinement, and risk-taking.
Drawn from the QCA folio box archive held by the printmaking studio at the Queensland College of Art and Design, this collection highlights a diverse range of contemporary artists who have worked in print in Brisbane at pivotal moments in their careers—some at the very beginning, others in established phases of their practice. Many of these artists have since become highly regarded figures in contemporary art, making these prints more than just artefacts of the past; they are testaments to artistic evolution, to ideas that took shape through ink and pressure, and to the enduring relevance of print as a contemporary art form.
Exhibition Opening
Saturday March 29
3pm - 5pm | RSVP
View Exhibition Catalogue Here
This exhibition is supported and sponsored by 2024 Turnbull Fellow,
Emily Parker of PARKER Contemporary and courtesy of Cobalt Editions.
Consider supporting the future of The Turnbull Award in recognising exemplary print practice at Queensland College of Art and Design, Griffith University.
Enrolling at QCA in 2001, aged 35 Iain Turnbull graduated with 1st class honours in 2005 in printmaking. Sadly in late 2006 he was diagnosed with cancer, which lead to his premature death in 2009z this award was established to celebrate the transformative nature of Iain Trumbull’s experience in the QCAD print studio and support the continuing legacy of teaching through material practices and printmaking at QCAD.
Alethea Richter: Pulse Systems
In response to our post-digital world, Alethea Richter’s Pulse Systems extends her engagement with digital fluidity and fixed structures through screenprinting. By translating digital marks alongside hand-generated marks, Richter explores the ephemeral qualities of screens—fluctuating luminosity, transient colours, and movement to create a dynamic works of expansion and contraction, that resists static interpretation.
Exhibition Opening
Saturday April 12
3pm to 5PM | RSVP Here
Aotearoa Art Fair
PARKER Contemporary’s presentation at Aotearoa Art Fair 2025 introduces New Zealand collectors and curators to the compelling narratives and critical perspectives emerging from Australia’s vibrant print culture.
Presenting the work of Carolyn Craig, Clinton Barker, Chris Hagen, Matthew Hurdle, Claudia Husband, Pat Hoffie, Tim Mosely, Michael Phillips and Ross Woodrow. The gallery showcases artists who push the boundaries of papermaking, intaglio, relief, lithography, and silk-screening—engaging with these mediums for their critical conceptual concerns.
Ross Woodrow: Order from Ruins
Featuring classical fragments of columns and capitals pulled from large copper-plate etchings, Woodrow references the agency and impact of these long-established and architectural orders not to advocate for a return to rules or codes, but to their scale, coloration, and muscular surface as a material metaphor and comparison to the human body. These columns and capitals, with their intricate, fluid and evolving character, manifest a millennia-old impulse to shape stone, marble, and now etched copper, into an anthropomorphic microcosmos, transcending any logical rules or ways of thinking. Experience this compelling dialogue between architecture and the human body up close, and discover how Woodrow’s practice invites you to rethink the boundaries of material, form, and meaning.
Exhibition Opening RSVP
Saturday February 15
3pm - 5pm
Matthew Hurdle: Should I remember you…
With its rich textures and layers of pulped sackcloth and ash, Hurdle’s papermaking practice invites a tactile engagement, encouraging viewers to connect deeply with the subtle nuances of the surface. Beneath these layers, a compelling narrative unfolds. The artist’s raw honesty in Should I Remember You… presents a quiet challenge, one that, if evaded, only intensifies the internal confrontation it provokes. By resisting the impulse to simply observe from a distance or judge the work aesthetically, we are compelled to confront the very questions it raises. Hurdle’s creative practice offers a restorative experience that goes beyond the visual, extending into the lived experience of both artist and audience, inviting transformation in both form and perception.
Exhibition Opening RSVP
Saturday February 1
3pm - 5pm
Summer Impressions
As the warmth of summer settles in and the gallery doors temporarily close, Parker Contemporary invites you to experience Summer Impressions—an online exhibition celebrating the evocative power of works on paper. This curated selection from our stockroom showcases printmaking and papermaking practices that capture the essence of summer, both in its tangible details and intangible feelings.
Through a diverse range of figurative and abstract works, Summer Impressions explores moments that define the season: the tactile 'weight of prawns' on sunlit afternoons, the vibrant blooms of jacaranda trees painting the streets in soft purple hues, and the hazy light that lingers on long summer evenings. These impressions are not just visual—they carry the scents, sounds, and sensations of summer days spent in leisure and reflection.
The artists featured in this exhibition harness the unique qualities of paper and print to evoke fleeting moments and lasting memories. From delicate embossments that invite touch to bold prints that burst with energy, each work speaks to the season's duality—its stillness and vibrancy, its calm and vitality.
While our physical space takes a summer pause, Summer Impressions offers a moment to slow down, immerse, and connect with art that mirrors the season's spirit. Join us online and let these works transport you to the heart of summer, wherever you may be.
Gallery Opening Weekend
PARKER Contemporary is thrilled to announce the opening of its new gallery space at 38 Hope Street, South Brisbane, nestled within the vibrant Fish Lane precinct.
Join us to celebrate the opening of our new contemporary art gallery during a special weekend event. The gallery will be open Saturday from 11am to 4pm and Sunday from 11am to 4pm, including an opening event on Saturday afternoon at 3pm.
The gallery's inaugural exhibition Contemporaries will set the tone for its forward-thinking programming, engaging audiences and creating a space for artistic exploration and dialogue.
We look forward to welcoming you to this exciting new space dedicated to showcasing innovative artistic practices.
Contemporaries
PARKER Contemporary’s inaugural exhibition, "Contemporaries" brings together the dynamic practices of Alethea Richter, Carolyn Craig, Jorge Mariño Brito, Matthew Hurdle, Michael Phillips, Pat Hoffie, and Tim Mosely as an exploration of the resonance within contemporary art of printmaking, papermaking, and artists books. The exhibition offers works that redefine how these mediums are presented, reimagining their potential as vehicles for innovation, experimentation, and dialogue.
"Contemporaries" highlights techniques rooted in tradition, now transformed by contemporary perspectives. The exhibition celebrates these mediums not as static forms but as living processes—imbued with the energy of the present moment and shaped by the urgency of contemporary issues.
Following their participation at Sydney Contemporary with PARKER Contemporary, these artists demonstrate how paper can be a site of fragility and strength, how the printed image can exist as both a singular object and a reproducible form, and how artists’ books become a sculptural and conceptual medium. By showcasing practices that range from intricate handcrafting to experimental use of digital technologies, "Contemporaries" underscores the adaptability and relevance of these art forms in a rapidly changing cultural landscape.
View works online here
Sydney Contemporary
Sydney Contemporary is Australasia’s premier art fair – the largest and most diverse gathering of leading contemporary art galleries from Australia, New Zealand, Asia and around the world.
Staged at Carriageworks, Australia’s largest multi-arts centre, the Fair welcomes over 95 emerging and established galleries, showcasing the work of over 500 artists presenting the best in contemporary and modern art.
PARKER Contemporary features the work of Alethea Richter, Carolyn Craig, Jorge Mariño Brito, Matthew Hurdle, Michael Phillips, Pat Hoffie and Tim Mosely.