Where to See Cornelia Parker

Cornelia Parker (born 1956) is a British sculptor and installation artist. Her works are held in many public collections. These include the Tate, the British Museum, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Internationally, Parker's art can be found at the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Her work is also held at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, part of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. In Canada, the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa has examples of her pieces. Parker has been featured in solo and group exhibitions worldwide. Major solo shows include those at the Serpentine Gallery (1998), the ICA Boston (2000), and the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester (2017). She represented Britain at the 2011 Venice Biennale. For current exhibitions, it is best to check museum websites or art publications for up-to-date information.

Cornelia Parker's prints, like those of many artists, are often produced in limited editions. The size of an edition is the artist's decision, not a technical requirement. A limited edition is defined by a written claim, typically in pencil, at the foot of each print. These claims follow informal conventions widely respected by printmakers. Each print is marked with a fraction, such as 12/25, indicating the print number and the total edition size. The print's title is usually written in the centre of the bottom margin, and the artist's signature appears on the right. These descriptions are always signed in pencil. Additional markings may include 'A/P' for artist's proof, identical to the edition, or 'T/P' for early proofs made during the block's development. 'V2' (or V3, etc.) indicates a variant edition with colour changes or block alterations. 'V/E' signifies a variable edition, where parts are constant but backgrounds are hand-coloured. 'Hors de Commerce' denotes a non-commercial print, identical to the edition but not for sale. These conventions help ensure clarity and value for collectors.

Cornelia Parker, born in 1956, is known for large-scale installations that explore the fragility of life and material transformations. She transforms disregarded items into remarkable works, often suspending objects to give the impression of animation. Parker's early work involved crushing silver-plated objects with a steamroller, then suspending the pieces in a gallery. This piece, Thirty Pieces of Silver, aimed to resurrect the objects, replacing their lost volume. In another work, Matter and What It Means (1989), she suspended defaced coins to form human figures. Cold Dark Matter: An Exploded View (1991) is considered one of the most important installations of the late 20th century. Parker exploded a garden shed, then reconstructed the shape of the explosion by suspending the debris from wires. A bare light bulb cast shadows, adding to the visual impact. She has also used charred wood from fires to create suspended reconstructions of burned churches, such as Mass (Colder Darker Matter) (1997). Parker was shortlisted for the Turner Prize in 1997 and elected to the Royal Academy of Arts in 2010. In 2015, she created Magna Carta (An Embroidery), a 13-metre long artwork stitched by over 200 people. In 2016, she was the first woman to create a Roof Garden Commission at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, with Transitional Object (PsychoBarn). In 2017, she served as the UK’s official election artist.

Cornelia Parker is known for large-scale installations and sculptures that explore transformation and the nature of materials. She often alters existing objects through destruction or suspension, changing how viewers perceive them. In 1988, Parker hired a steamroller to flatten silver-plated items acquired from flea markets. She then suspended the flattened pieces from the ceiling using wires, creating thirty separate pools of hovering objects in an installation titled Thirty Pieces of Silver. Similarly, she suspended defaced coins with wire to create floating human figures in Matter and What It Means (1989). For Cold Dark Matter: An Exploded View (1991), Parker had the British Army blow up a garden shed filled with tools and household items. She collected the debris and suspended it in the gallery space, reconstructing the moment of explosion. She has also worked with charred wood from fires, creating suspended reconstructions of burned churches, such as Mass (Colder Darker Matter) (1997) and Anti-Mass (2005). In 2015, she produced Magna Carta (An Embroidery), a 13-metre-long embroidery stitched by over 200 people.

Cornelia Parker's art explores themes of fragility and transformation; her practice involves large-scale installations and manipulation of existing materials. Parker has stated that she was inspired by artists who deal with fragments and immateriality, such as Marcel Duchamp. Parker's method often involves altering objects through violent means, then reconstructing them. For example, she hired the British Army to blow up a shed filled with household detritus; she then reassembled the fragments, suspending them in the gallery space as Cold Dark Matter: An Exploded View (1991). She steamrollered silver-plated items bought at flea markets, suspending the flattened pieces in mid-air as Thirty Pieces of Silver (1988). She has also used charred remains from fires, such as in Hanging Fire (Suspected Arson). Parker was shortlisted for the Turner Prize in 1997. In 2010, she was elected to the Royal Academy of Arts. She became the first woman to be given the Roof Garden Commission at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, in 2016.

Cornelia Parker's inspirations include artists who engage with the fragment and the immaterial, such as Marcel Duchamp. Parker is known for large-scale installations that explore the fragility of life and material transformations. These transformations can be violent or gradual, encompassing both natural processes and human actions. Her work often involves transmuting disregarded or degraded objects into something remarkable. For example, Thirty Pieces of Silver (1988) used silver-plated items crushed by a steamroller. The pieces were then suspended to create a hovering field of circles. Cold Dark Matter: An Exploded View (1991) involved exploding a garden shed and suspending the debris. Parker's work also explores themes of mortality and time. In 2013, she set up The Maybe at the Serpentine Gallery in London, where Tilda Swinton slept in a glass case. This installation, focusing on people sleeping in galleries, invited questions about these complex themes.

It is difficult to identify Cornelia Parker's single "most famous work" with certainty, as fame is subjective and fluctuates. However, her large-scale installations have received considerable attention. Parker is known for her transformation of objects through explosion, crushing, or other processes. One notable example is "Cold Dark Matter: An Exploded View" (1991), in which she suspended the fragmented remains of a garden shed, detonated by the British Army, to create an arresting visual display. The work plays with ideas of destruction, reconstruction, and the suspension of time. Another well-known piece is "Thirty Pieces of Silver" (1988-89), composed of flattened silver objects, such as teapots and cutlery, suspended from wires. This installation explores themes of value, loss, and transformation. These works, and others like them, have cemented Parker's reputation for thought-provoking and visually arresting art.

Cornelia Parker emerged as an artist in Britain during the late 1980s. Her practice aligns with aspects of several movements, but she is not easily categorised. Parker's methods connect to the readymades of the early 20th-century Dada art movement; she transforms existing objects through alteration. Like Dada artists, Parker embraces chance and humour. Her large-scale installations relate to the concerns of Minimalism. However, unlike Minimalist sculptors, Parker uses narrative and representational elements. Cold Dark Matter: An Exploded View (1991) is a good example; Parker gathered the remains of a garden shed destroyed by the British Army, suspended the fragments, and illuminated them with a single light. The work retains traces of its prior existence, and the title suggests themes beyond pure form. Parker also shares concerns with artists associated with the Young British Artists (YBAs). Like Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin, Parker came to prominence in London during the 1990s, and she adopts unconventional materials and addresses contemporary issues. While associated with the YBAs, Parker's work maintains a distinct sensibility, characterised by poetic transformations of ordinary objects.