Gina Parr (b. 1957) is a Painter and Photographer who explores themes of memory, identity, and the interplay between abstraction and figuration. Her work is influenced by a childhood shaped by the contrasting experiences of freedom in open spaces and the challenges of her mother’s mental health, which established her deep connection to land and sea.
In her painting practice, Parr engages in an intuitive, tactile process using oil paint, charcoal, and various tools to create layered, atmospheric works. While traveling, she “paints with her camera,” capturing abstract, painterly compositions in weathered surfaces and textures, often mistaken for paintings. Her photographic series span locations such as Laos, India, Cuba, and Morocco.
Parr trained as a Fine Artist, earning a First Class BA Honours Degree, and later studied Set Design at Chelsea College of Art. She enjoyed a 25-year career in production design, working with figures like David Bowie and Robbie Williams and on notable projects like Eastenders and Alan Bennett’s The Insurance Man. Returning to full-time art in 2007, she has exhibited internationally, completed numerous commissions, and had her work featured in British TV dramas. Recent accolades include showing at the Royal West Academy Photography Open 2023 and the Royal Academy Summer Show 2024.
Her works are held in collections worldwide, including Keble College Oxford and Boston’s Children’s Museum. Currently collaborating with Glen Scotia Whisky on a commissioned piece, Parr continues to live and work between Devon and London’s East End.
