PARKER Contemporary presents a new body of work by Matthew Newkirk examining the power of the visual image in contemporary society, and its role in shaping how we understand news, commerce and social relations.

Working with the visual languages and signifiers that circulate through everyday media, Newkirk draws attention to the ways images mediate information and influence perception. Referencing the functional logic of Brisbane’s street signage as a system of public communication, the works sit in dialogue with the history of signage in contemporary art while locating a distinctly local and contemporary position.

Through an ongoing investigation into mainstream media and communication systems, the work considers how meaning is constructed, disrupted and distorted. It points to the ways power operates through familiar formats and emerging technologies, inviting reflection on how images are produced and consumed today.

Matthew Newkirk is a PhD graduate from the Queensland College of Art and Design, Griffith University.