Practice
About
Holly Kay Parsons is an Australian sculptor working with found domestic objects. Each work begins with an object already marked by use: a chair left on a verge, an inherited frame, an item passed over at a clearance sale. Through carving, woodwork, sewing, weaving, painted finishes and bespoke upholstery, the chair becomes a singular sculptural object, carrying the weight of its first life while standing as its own work.
Parsons carefully selects chairs and other domestic objects. They arrive in the studio worn, broken, sometimes layered in generations of paint and re-covering. Each one is taken apart and remade, with material decisions made in response to the object's structure, history and condition.
Reconstruction involves paring back frames and building new surfaces through embroidery, painted finishes, and bespoke upholstery in textiles selected for each piece. A single chair can spend months in the studio across multiple stages of work.
The original chair remains visible in the finished work, but only as part of the story. Each object holds two states at once: the domestic form that came before, and the sculptural work it has become.
Bio
Holly Kay Parsons is an Australian sculptor based in Sydney. She grew up in regional New South Wales and studied at the National Art School, Sydney. Her practice centres on found domestic objects, especially chairs and wood salvaged, inherited or close to being discarded. Each chair is remade as a singular sculptural work through woodwork, carving, sewing, painted finishes and bespoke upholstery. Her work is held in private collections in Australia and the United Kingdom.
For curators, galleries, and press, selected works, artist bio, and professional material can be supplied on request.
CV
Education
- 2016 — Bachelor of Fine Arts, National Art School, Sydney
Selected solo exhibitions
- 2026 — Everyday Rations, Twixt Gallery, Sydney
- 2026 — Sweet Memories, Twixt Gallery, Sydney
- 2025 — Art Heals, Twixt Gallery, Sydney
Selected group exhibitions
- 2024 — Garden of Good and Evil (with Tanya Ljubic), Stirrup Gallery, Sydney
- 2023 — Awagami International Mini-Print Exhibition, Hall of Awa Japanese Handmade Paper, Tokushima, Japan
- 2016 — ART Park Exhibition, Ovolo Hotel Woolloomooloo, Sydney
- 2015 — Graduate Show, National Art School Gallery, Sydney
- 2015 — De-Form, National Art School Library, Sydney
- 2013 — Expand, Middle Head exhibition space, National Parks & Wildlife Service in partnership with National Art School
Collections
- Hilton Hotel, Sydney
- Private collections in Australia and United Kingdom