Within Between Vessel and Void, Freyja Fristad presents an evocative body of work that navigates the intergenerational loss of First Nations cultural knowledge within her family. As a proud First Nations (Wiradjuri) artist who lives and works across Dharawal and Gadigal land in Sydney, Fristad’s art practice bridges photography and printmaking through her meticulously carved, horizontally-lined bitmap relief prints of mass-produced domestic objects—sourced from commercial and personal imagery—into metaphysical vessels. These everyday forms, stripped of function, become symbolic containers of absence, memory, and grief. They stand in for lost artefacts, displaced knowledge, and severed ancestral ties, revealing how the personal is inextricably bound to broader histories of cultural erasure.

Embedded in her lived experience on Dharawal land and shaped by navigating absence and reconnection within contemporary art, Fristad’s work deeply explores cultural memory, visibility, and the silent power of objects. Fristad’s works destabilise the viewer’s perception to reconsider what is preserved, what is lost, and how we hold meaning in the spaces between.

Join us to celebrate this exhibition on Saturday May 17
3pm - 5pm | RSVP Here

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With its rich textures and layers of pulped sackcloth and ash, Hurdle’s papermaking practice invites a tactile engagement, encouraging viewers to connect deeply with the subtle nuances of the surface. Beneath these layers, a compelling narrative unfolds. The artist’s raw honesty in Should I Remember You… presents a quiet challenge, one that, if evaded, only intensifies the internal confrontation it provokes. By resisting the impulse to simply observe from a distance or judge the work aesthetically, we are compelled to confront the very questions it raises. Hurdle’s creative practice offers a restorative experience that goes beyond the visual, extending into the lived experience of both artist and audience, inviting transformation in both form and perception.

Exhibition Opening RSVP
Saturday February 1
3pm - 5pm

View Exhibition Catalogue Here

As the warmth of summer settles in and the gallery doors temporarily close, Parker Contemporary invites you to experience Summer Impressions—an online exhibition celebrating the evocative power of works on paper. This curated selection from our stockroom showcases printmaking and papermaking practices that capture the essence of summer, both in its tangible details and intangible feelings.

Through a diverse range of figurative and abstract works, Summer Impressions explores moments that define the season: the tactile 'weight of prawns' on sunlit afternoons, the vibrant blooms of jacaranda trees painting the streets in soft purple hues, and the hazy light that lingers on long summer evenings. These impressions are not just visual—they carry the scents, sounds, and sensations of summer days spent in leisure and reflection.

The artists featured in this exhibition harness the unique qualities of paper and print to evoke fleeting moments and lasting memories. From delicate embossments that invite touch to bold prints that burst with energy, each work speaks to the season's duality—its stillness and vibrancy, its calm and vitality.

While our physical space takes a summer pause, Summer Impressions offers a moment to slow down, immerse, and connect with art that mirrors the season's spirit. Join us online and let these works transport you to the heart of summer, wherever you may be.

PARKER Contemporary’s inaugural exhibition, "Contemporaries" brings together the dynamic practices of Alethea Richter, Carolyn Craig, Jorge Mariño Brito, Matthew Hurdle, Michael Phillips, Pat Hoffie, and Tim Mosely as an exploration of the resonance within contemporary art of printmaking, papermaking, and artists books. The exhibition offers works that redefine how these mediums are presented, reimagining their potential as vehicles for innovation, experimentation, and dialogue.

"Contemporaries" highlights techniques rooted in tradition, now transformed by contemporary perspectives. The exhibition celebrates these mediums not as static forms but as living processes—imbued with the energy of the present moment and shaped by the urgency of contemporary issues.

Following their participation at Sydney Contemporary with PARKER Contemporary, these artists demonstrate how paper can be a site of fragility and strength, how the printed image can exist as both a singular object and a reproducible form, and how artists’ books become a sculptural and conceptual medium. By showcasing practices that range from intricate handcrafting to experimental use of digital technologies, "Contemporaries" underscores the adaptability and relevance of these art forms in a rapidly changing cultural landscape.

View works online here