Richard Parr Q&A

DESIGN ANTHOLOGY UK: You have an established architecture firm, Richard Parr Associates (RPA). What prompted you to open an art and design gallery now? 

A few things aligned, which resulted in opening BRINK. I am a culturally curious person, I am constantly making discoveries, and I am continually learning. I want to share these things and now is a great moment.

Over the last 15 – 20 years, I have become increasingly fascinated and involved with the contemporary art world, my Architectural Design practice has also grown and, with that, the opportunity to create and craft many buildings, working alongside so many talented people.

Opening this gallery space is the perfect platform to help promote artists, designers, makers, thinkers, and causes. I believe that art and the thinking it promotes is a necessary thing in any society and I am able in a very small way to endorse that with the gallery.

D/A: Will you feature contemporary artists only? Who curates the programme? 

I’ll curate the programme personally with the help and interaction of any of the RPA team who want to get involved. Having a cultural voice and arm to RPA is a key motivator for us. I have a co-curator and manager, whose full-time job is to run the space and programme.

There is no definitive scope as to what we will show, though we will focus on contemporary art. All that’s important to us is how good the work is, we are creating a platform here that has no prescribed limits. If we believe in the work and there’s quality and imagination, that’s enough.

D/A: Tell us about the inaugural exhibition with Luke Hamel Cooke? 

Hamel Cooke’s work excels in BRINK to such an extent it sometimes seems like the gallery was designed specifically to house his work. However, that is the reason that the interior is not a traditional gallery space. The unfolding of hidden spaces within the walls is the perfect display for his bronzes, with museum quality lighting. We hope that each and every show will feel totally at home with us. With Luke, the dark red BRINK colour complements the bone-white of his sculpture and the small size of the gallery creates an intimate setting – a place where spectators feel comfortable enough to spend time with a single work or immerse themselves holistically with his fantastical world.

When I look at Hamel Cooke’s sculpture, I can hardly believe that it was made at all. Rather, I imagine that it has been exhumed or unearthed. To me, his work seeks to give form to organic regeneration itself – that strange power that lies hidden in the soil and connects the animal kingdom with the vegetable. Hamel Cooke’s expression of these processes is resonant powerful and demands attention. BRINK means that this is possible, and we are proud to be a part of his artistic journey. 

D/A: Are you a collector yourself? 

I am, although I do feel strongly that the term “collector” is not a peroration that I aspire to. Yes, I do have interests in many specific areas of design and art. These have led me to engage with artists of all types, I enjoy the narrative, the engagement and the participation with them and the result of that is a very broad and eclectic collection. I see it almost as a physical diary, reflecting my own evolution. It is as much about the collecting of experiences and engagement as ownership.

D/A: What can we look forward to in 2026? 

We aim to do around 10 shows next year. In February, we are showing the work of Philip Hughes who has travelled the world drawing ancient sites. His show at BRINK will look hard into the past and confront our ancestors there. We will focus on his British sites, as that dovetails into the practice, of which intervention in landscape is a key part, so there is an interesting engagement here.

We will be bringing various young artists into the gallery (from across the globe), a timber ‘maker’, who we’ve worked alongside for some years and hopefully an environmental show bringing Sustaina India to the UK (championed by the legendary Indian artists Thukral & Tagra). There are other conversations going on about future shows, but for now I’ll leave it at that. We have enough to do before Christmas!

The Well Head by Luke Hamel Cook is on through 17 October. Brink Gallery, The People’s Hall, 2 Olaf Street, London W11 4BE