ANTHONY J PARKÉ-ANTONIS | PAINTINGS

Anthony J Parké is a London-based artist whose artistic practice emerged along a nonlinear path: beginning with conceptual sculpture, he later turned to painting after formative years at Kingston Polytechnic, followed by advanced studies in Philosophy and Literature. This interdisciplinary foundation underpins his approach to image-making, where philosophical inquiry meets aesthetic experimentation.

    Parké’s paintings are best described as figurative landscapes that inhabit a space between realism and psychological theatre. They evoke a sense of disequilibrium—enigmatic, claustrophobic environments inhabited by spectral figures who appear to drift through states of tension, isolation, and uneasy intimacy. These figures often seem trapped within their surroundings, their gestures half-formed, their presences uncertain. Through such scenarios, Parké explores the fragile boundaries between self and environment, presence and absence, reality and imagination.

    His practice engages deeply with questions of psychological and sociological anxiety. Within each composition, interactions between figures feel strained, ambivalent, and unresolved, reflecting broader concerns about alienation and the fractured nature of contemporary existence. Yet the focus remains firmly on the human condition itself—its ambiguities, vulnerabilities, and search for coherence amidst confusion.

    The human figure stands as the central metaphor in Parké’s work. Unadorned and often solitary, it becomes both subject and symbol, navigating environments that mirror the internal architecture of thought and emotion. His paintings resist explicit narrative or fixed interpretation; instead, they present a series of existential tableaux—moments suspended between recognition and uncertainty. In these works, space functions less as physical terrain and more as a psychological construct: a complex, mutable field in which human consciousness unfolds.

    Ultimately, Parké’s art invites contemplation rather than conclusion. Each painting operates as a fragment of a wider inquiry into what it means to be human—to exist within and against the pressures of environment, memory, and time. Through this, he sustains a visual language that is both introspective and universal, personal yet resonant with collective experience.

SELECTED PAST EXHIBITIONS

2024 - Bankside Gallery, Royal Society of Miniatures, UK

2022 - Zari Gallery, Ascension, London, UK

2022 - Manchester Art Fair

2022 - Zari Gallery, BHM, London, UK

2021 - Mall Galleries, Figurative Art Now, UK

2019 - Mall Galleries, Royal Society of Miniatures, UK

2019 - Hanbury Manor Estate, Hertfordshire, UK

2019 - Brocket Hall Estate, Welwyn Garden City, UK

2019 - The Saffron Walden Gallery, UK

2019 - Westcliffe Gallery, Norfolk, UK

2018 - All Saints Church, Herts

2017 - Mall Galleries, Royal Society of Miniatures

2016 - Bell Fine Art/ Affordable Art Fair, Battersea

2016 - Catto Gallery, Stock show, London, UK

2016 - Bell Fine Art - Winchester, UK

2015 - Saffron Walden Gallery - Summer Exhibition, UK

2015 - Catto Gallery - Easter Exhibition London, UK

2015 - Catto Gallery - Window of Opportunity - London, UK

2014 - Catto Gallery - Summer Show - London, UK

2014 - Summer Salon, IAF, Islington, London

2014 - Catto Gallery - Solo show - London, UK

2014 - Beaux Arts Bath, Affordable Art Fair, Battersea

2014 - Catto Gallery Mixed Show, Hampstead London UK

2014 - The Gallery, Stoke Newington, London UK

2013 - Arthaus Gallery, Hertfordshire UK

2013 - The Arches Gallery, East London UK

2013 - Courtyard Arts, Hertford, UK

2010 - The Gallery, Hornsey Library

2006 - Kudos, East Finchley, UK

2003 - The Crocodile Gallery

1993 - L’Orangerie, Acton, UK

1993 - Kingston Museum, UK

1992 - Waltham Forest Grad. Show, UK

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

2022 - The Art Market Magazine, Issue 69

2020 - Elizabeth Barden 'Artist's Can...'

2018 - Islington Journal, October 28th

2018 - Islington Gazette, October 25th

2018 - The Guide Artists Magazine, Featured Artist

2018 - Equilibrium Magazine, Spring Issue 63

2014 - Into the Glass: Hyperreal Paintings of Anthony J. Parké,

Foreword: Edward Lucie-Smith

2014 - Camden New Journal, May 15, No.1661

2014 - Catto Gallery Catalogue - Solo Show 2014

2014 - Cork Street Open Catalogue, 2014

2013 - Book: East Finchley Open Arts 10th Anniversary

2013 - Equilibrium Magazine, Spring Issue 46

FILM /INTERVIEW

2014 - Interviewed by art historian, critic and poet,

            Edward Lucie-Smith

AWARDS

2019 - Royal Society of Miniatures, Connoisseur
             Commendation Award

2018 - Islington Arts Society Annual Exhibition Peoples Choice Award

2017 - Royal Society of Miniatures, Gold Memorial Bowl, Honourable Mention

2017 - Courtyard Arts Open, Herts, Highly Commended 

2016 - Hertford Society Open Exhibition, Peoples Choice, Runner up

EDUCATION

2012 - St Martins School of Art, Advanced Anatomical Drawing
1999 - Masters Degree – English Literature, O.U
1993-1997 - Honours Degree – Combined: Fine art (Kingston)/ Philosophy (O.U.)
1989-1991 - Fine Art Foundation Diploma, Waltham Forest

TALKS

2016 - Guest Speaker: Art Business Success Summit, London.

2013 - Collett School, Hemel Hempstead UK

2013 - Coleridge School, London UK