CARSON PARKIN-FAIRLEY
ARTIST STATEMENT
ABOUT
I have always been drawn to acts of celebration - grand altars adorned with iconography, ceremonies of gratitude, and simple gatherings that bring people together. Celebration feels to me like one of the oldest forms of worship and one of the truest expressions of human connection. All of my work reflects this devotion to joy, and reverence for shared experience - things I have always wanted to see more of in the world.
My practice luxuriates in the minutiae of human life - its intricacies, contradictions, and fleeting moments of beauty - and seeks to celebrate them all. I am fascinated by where we place our worship now that many no longer gather to believe in a unifying God. What, or who, do we hold sacred today? What is holy in a secular world? I am drawn to places where collective energy gathers: in place of saints, we elevate celebrities; in place of cathedrals, we build sports stadiums. My work reflects this phenomenon while proposing an alternative: that the sacred still exists, in the everyday gestures of kindness and care that connect us.
Across painting, digital collage, sculpture, installation, and social practice, I explore our contemporary relationship to celebration, spirituality, and care. Through my ICONS project, I invite people to become the subjects of their own icons — joyful portraits that honour their stories, their worth and share their worlds. It asks, “Who gets to be celebrated?” and answers, “We all do.”
The ICONS project reimagines divinity as democratic and accessible - creating a living pantheon of neighbours, shopkeepers, and friends - embodying the belief that everyone is intrinsically special.
This process of world-building — creating universes where ordinary people become extraordinary — underpins everything I do. Whether constructing an elaborate shrine, hosting a participatory ritual, or sitting in a park asking, How Can I Help You?, I am always building worlds that celebrate care, connection, and joy.
I believe in art as service - accessible, intimate, and transformative. The worlds I construct are colourful, playful, and joyful. Entering them should not feel like stepping into a high art space, but into somewhere welcoming and universal, where colour and joy are the shared language. I want to create experiences that reveal the beauty of everyday life and invite people to see themselves - and each other - as worthy of celebration.
At its heart, my practice is an act of devotion: to celebrate, to care, to create joy and community, and to honour the holiness of being alive together.
Carson Parkin-Fairley is a multidisciplinary artist who explores worship, celebration, care, joy and storytelling through her practice. Her work is inspired by stories, religious iconography, shrines, and popular culture.
Carson has created installations, murals, artworks and commissions which have travelled around the globe. She studied Art Foundation at Camberwell, and worked in various industries before re-finding her true essence in art.
She was raised by artists, Mother, Sophie Parkin and Grandmother, Molly Parkin.
She is passionate about the connectivity that the arts can bring, and felt privileged to be raised in a family that encouraged it. She hopes to share this creativity with others who may not have been exposed to it.
