Kenton Parker, lauded visual artist and storyteller, once said: “It takes a city to raise an artist.” Indeed– Parker’s art, informed by the place he lives and the people that populate his life, demonstrates a profound introspection of self and, by proxy, the community that forged that self. Emerging from a three-year hiatus in which Parker spent time grappling with depression, addiction, and anxiety, Parker’s newest works depict the process of fostering a healthier, renewed relationship with the self, and the people and places that helped him do so. Parker will be exhibiting a solo show of work made around and throughout this process of introspection at albertz benda in Los Angeles, through November 4th.
The show, titled: Space and Light, touches on reconciliation: broad, geometric shapes reflect Kenton’s negotiation between his own death and his inner child; the jubilant, impulsive Starburst series is dedicated to the relationships in in his life; and works like Cheremoya or Bronson are mired in Parker’s frequent nature walks. Locating the self as both an external place and an internal process, Parker’s Space and Light series allows the viewer to peel back the known calloused exterior to see the softer, malleable insides of Parker’s mind.