Tick Tock '432 minutes'
Oil on canvas (series of 4 works), 20 x 20 cm, 2026
Artwork Statement
My current practice explores the experience of living in limbo — a suspended state that exists between movement and stillness. In a society shaped by acceleration, productivity, and constant forward motion, this state of waiting has become a quiet but pervasive condition.
This series of paintings centres on clock imagery, rendered in an antique palette that distances them from their functional role. Rather than measuring time precisely, these clocks evoke its weight, its persistence, and its tendency to stretch or stall. They occupy a space where time feels both present and suspended.
Through this imagery, I reflect on the emotional drag of waiting — the unease, stillness, and subtle hope embedded within it. Within Distributed Worlds, the work speaks to the uneven experience of time across different lives. While some move seamlessly forward, others remain paused, deferred, or caught in cycles of anticipation. The work does not resolve this condition, but holds space within it.
Artist Bio
Chelsea Parkinson is an emerging artist based in Melbourne, originally from the Adelaide Hills. A recent graduate of the Bachelor of Arts (Fine Art) (Painting) at RMIT University, her practice spans painting, drawing, textiles, installation, and mixed media. Her work explores vulnerability and the delicate nature of living, creating spaces of empathy and reflection across both figurative and abstract modes.
