Contemporary British artist Nigel Cooke has created a limited-edition print in support of Parley, marking the start of an ongoing collaborative partnership
Nigel Cooke, Oceans 2020; 110 cm x 80 cm (unframed); 130 cm x 100 cm (framed) ©Nigel Cooke
Portrait of Nigel Cooke in his studio
Contemporary British artist Nigel Cooke has created a limited-edition print in support of the Parley Global Cleanup Network, based on his original series titled, Oceans, exhibited at Pace Gallery Geneva, November 11 - January 9, 2021. Inspired by the artist’s experiences living on the coast of England, the paintings in Oceans merge poetic metaphor with both natural and psychic environments. With an energy informed by sea swimming, interpretations on myth and the lyricism of ballet, the artwork weaves together — in oceanic blue — reflections on natural forces and the unpredictability of painting. The work is at once meditations on the sea and responses to characters in Homer’s Odyssey. Read more on his practice and process here.
Nigel describes experiences in waters on the coast of England as the source of a personal perspective shift. Becoming a sea swimmer led him to consider the health of the global Ocean as an ecosystem, and to question his role in its protection. He explains, “you are not an observer but a participant, and this logically suggests the ethics and scope of that participation. Am I doing enough? Am I doing what I can to contribute to the preservation of this part of our planet?” Like the oceans, art is a connecting force — and one that can draw us to new ways of creating, thinking and living. Artists are therefore powerful agents of change in the environmental cause.
“The Ocean has been a part of my painting since my earliest attempts, occupying a constant place in my imagination, and during this last year it has come back stronger than ever. Mostly as a result of the swimming, but also because over time it appeared to me as a metaphor for travel and distance, a body of matter that is perilous, a separating force but also one that connects continents and draws you beyond what you know, where you know. The Parley collaboration came into this naturally because drawing people towards other ways of thinking is a guiding principle of creativity. It seemed fitting to connect this with developing discussions on conservation and responsibility towards the ocean.”
— Nigel Cooke
With Oceans, Cooke pushes the boundaries of painting and explores the interdependency between absence and presence, the mind and the natural world, thereby creating a body of work that is rhythmic and living, poetic and vigorous. Like the paintings’ central subject and theme, he invites the viewer to explore the unpredictable and fluid nature of perspective, empathy and imagination. The print edition marks the start of the collaboration between the artist and Parley.
For print purchase inquires, please contact sara@parley.tv
Image by Tyler Lastovich.
“The artist plays an important role at Parley, they are a true driver of change. Change can happen at a rational level, through facts, science, evidence, or quickly through emotion, through the power of your heart. That’s the beauty of the collaboration with Nigel Cooke, his work inspired by the Oceans creates a process of change without the need for too many words. With his contribution, Nigel helps support our mission to fund Global projects with immediate impact. We are truly grateful and inspired to collaborate with Nigel.”
— Cyrill Gutsch, founder and CEO of Parley
“Our treatment of the oceans and our collective idea of what they are clearly need to be radically adjusted, surely no-one would argue otherwise - yet it still remains an abstract problem in the minds of many, something happening elsewhere... The most important thing in changing the way we engage with an idea is communication, helping to make it real for everybody, making it a personal issue. I could not miss the opportunity to collaborate with Parley for that reason - making connections is the backbone of how they operate, allowing a range of people to build stronger messages together with wider reach.”
— Nigel Cooke
To view his latest exhibit, Oceans, visit Pace Gallery
