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For the exhibition The Hallelujah Chorus, Mike Parr has developed a number of large-scale prints and drawings, continuing the "Self-Portrait Project". Through the repetitive nature of prints, as well as through the constant return to his own image, the self portrait refuses to be limited by representation and reference. They position the viewer, as well as the artist, at a point described by Parr as “privileged anonymity” – for Parr, the self-portrait becomes a place of emptiness. Parr’s investigations into the limits of both the body and the mind, played out across performance, print, drawing and sculpture, have been a major influence on contemporary art in Australia since the early 1970s. One of Australia’s pre-eminent and most challenging contemporary artists, his rigorous practice continues to be formally, physically and intellectually engaging. Parr's work has featured in significant international exhibitions including recently, Last Ride in a Hot Air Balloon: 4th Auckland Triennial, 2010; 3rd Moscow Biennale, 2009; and Revolutions: Forms that Turn, the Biennale of Sydney, 2008. Recent solo exhibitions include The Titled Stage, Detached, Hobart, 2008; and Milk, the inaugural exhibition at Anna Schwartz Gallery’s Sydney space in 2008. Edward Scheer’s critical writing on Parr’s work, The Infinity Machine: Mike Parr’s Performance Art was released in May 2010. Another significant monograph, documenting over thirty years’ works, Mike Parr Performances 1971-2008, is published by Schwartz City. |