Design Splat Magazine 7th April 2011
An interview about my practrice and life as an artist with online arts magazine Design Splat.
www.designsplat.com
The Art Newspaper 19 Jan 2011
Article about The People You're Not exhibition.
M.E.N 28th January 2011
Article previewing 'The People You're Not' exhibition at the Cornerhouse Manchester.
Cornerhouse podcast 3rd Feb 2011
An interview with me taken on the night of the private view of The People You're Not exhibition. There's lots on interesting info and chat, and you can find me at 6:30 mins...
Cornerhouse Podcast 03Feb2011 by CornerhouseMCR
Freeq Magazine 21st January, 2010
FETISHISM, FEMNITY & FANTASY
After a chance meeting last year at an art show we invited an up and coming Manchester painter to show people her work in our beautiful magazine. Thankfully we also had time for a quick chat.
In a world of digital the tradtional is often overlooked, left slumped at the back of the room sick from underexposure. In contrast 31 year-old Gemma Parker trained in multiple disiplines to explore medium but now paints rose tinted pasts with imagined characters.
She graduated with an MA in Communication Design in 2001.When she finished studying her work had been, through independant and influecned decisions, focused on variety.
"When I met David Hancock in Manchester he looked at my work and recommeded that I try getting into painting, which isn't something I would necessarily have focused on. Eight years later I always paint" explains Parker.
"Allure" creeps to the lips when looking at Parker's paintings. There's the nod back in time to an era of percieved 'innocence in sexuality', the curvacious feminine creatures created in homage to a pre-war Britain of glamour and the witty tone inherent throughout her works means it's easy to see why these images have proved so successful at exhibitions and with private commissions.
"I have a lot of requests for portraiture with the oddest private commission coming from a gentleman who just wanted a tiny segment of a girls back drawing. It makes sense really when you think about my work" she quips.
Making it as a freelance artist in Manchester can often be a mammoth task- the city scene is notoriously underfunded when compared to rival 'creative hubs' such as Glasgow or Liverpool. To ease the burden Parker and other artists who work at the city's URBIS gallery created URBIS Creatives in early 2009
"It's been a strange year in art as galleries, exposure and interest, have all suffered thanks to the recession. The Creatives really helps stabilise some of this as it means that everyone has their ear to the ground and can assist eachohter even if we work in hugely different styles" says Parker.
"I personally try to celebrate femininty thorugh artwork, and give it a sexual but tongue in cheek touch. I find glamour, theatrics and showmanship very important and want to show people this. I hope that people can see this in both the burlesque figures, and my new work, which deals with sailor tattoos, female imagery and the importance of nautical phrases in common language" says Parker, a young woman beginning to make waves against the tide of the times.
Martin Gutteridge-Hewitt
Sphere Magazine 14th October 2009
Following my exhibiting at this year's Buy Art Fair, I have been featured in a fab article by journalist Martin-Guttridge Hewitt highlighting his favourite three picks from the selection of art on show!
Sunderland Echo 20th December, 2008
'ART SHOW REVEALS STREETS FLAMBOYANT CHARACTERS'
Preview of The Sunniside of Burlesque exhibition
BBC Stoke and Staffordshire 11th November, 2008
A little snippet from the BBC covering the Scarlet Fever portrait unveiling held last month at Stoke on Trent Burlesque. (This article is no longer available)
See Events for more details
Collective North East 1st July, 2008
MEET THE COLOURFUL CHARACTERS OF SUNNISIDE'S PAST
Manchester artist Gemma Parker is coming to Sunderland in partnership with Art-Wave to respond to historical research into the Sunniside area and some of the characters who've lived there in an exhibition entitled The Sunniside of Burlesque. A photoshoot of costumed characters took place in the area in May and these photographs will be exhibited in The Place in June (date TBC) alongside some of the artist's recent paintings.
www.gemmaparker.co.uk
Interview for The Candy Pitch 20th June, 2008
In this interview I answer some quirky questions about what inpires me to paint and perform burlesque!
Press coverage of Sunniside shoot 21st May, 2008
The press turned up to interview and photograph myself and the participants of the Sunniside art project where I've been doing my burlesque art residency. I am wrongly credited in this photo, I was the artist in residence for this project. You can read details about the event on my myspace blog HERE
Coverage on Style in the City
See my 'Bon Bon's' work as exhibited at 'In All Her Finery' in Channel M's Style In The City Episode 8. This episode also features a small interview with me talking about the delight of corsets!
Interview with Shake it Doll! 2nd February, 2008
The fabulous blog which documents the shimmies and shakers of the UK burlesque circuit has recently interviewed me about my art, style and ambitions. (This link is no longer available)
Tassel Time Interview! 18th November, 2007
I was interviewed for episode two of the UK burlesque radio show Tassel Time! The interview covered recent and upcoming art projects, inspirations and burlesque news and chat.
Link no longer available
Pure Cheshire 4th September, 2007
Article about my portrait project with Scarlet Fever, star of Channel Four's Faking It Burlesque Christmas Special.
Manchester Advertiser 30th May, 2003
Do Gentlemen Really Prefer Blondes?
Article about the exhibition by Steph Jones
City Life 14th May, 2003
Review of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes exhibition
Metro 2nd May, 2003
Review of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes exhibition
Metro 25th April, 2003
Preview of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes exhibition
