News Story
Worthing local, Alison Lapper, opened a powerful new exhibition at Worthing Museum in 2024. Lost in Parys explores Lapper’s personal journey of grief following the untimely, accidental death of her son Parys.
About Lost in Parys
Lost in Parys will present a range of new work that delves into a world of human suffering and the power of creativity as a beacon of hope. The work channels four years of a mother’s grief. Through paint and media, it is a raw, unfiltered expression of Lapper’s emotional journey. It will communicate an experience of pain intertwined with a mother’s unwavering, unconditional love.
Lapper’s own work will also include sculptures and photographs from friends and contemporaries Marc Quinn and Rankin. These will echo and explore Alison's recent life events and their effect on her as both a mother and an artist. The dialogue between these three artists will present visitors with an intimate narrative. It will explore grief and mental health alongside Lapper’s reflection on the complexities of motherhood.
The exhibition promises to be both a challenging and uplifting look at a wide range of difficult subjects. This includes mental and physical health, grief, trauma, motherhood and personal loss.
About Alison Lapper (MBE)
Alison Lapper is a leading Association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists member. She came to wider public attention through her collaboration with sculptor Marc Quinn while she was pregnant with Parys. This partnership resulted in the iconic statue Alison Lapper Pregnant, which sat on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square from 2005 to 2007. Tragically, Parys died in 2019 at the age of 19 from an accidental drug overdose.
"I'm Lost in Parys. It's a loss that has rearranged my world, watching him fade away in front of my eyes because of the effects of addiction and mental health. It is a death that has changed how I see everything, a grief that has torn everything down, and an unbearable pain that leaves me vulnerable, navigating my feelings through my work."
Alison Lapper Pregnant (2000) Marc Quinn in Worthing Museum
Lapper’s determination to ensure that Parys’ life and death were not in vain has resulted in the creation of the charity The Drug of Art. Launched in 2023, the charity recognises the power and importance that art can hold when dealing with mental health. Lapper decided to set up the charity to reach as many people as possible. It seeks to demonstrate the power and importance of art as a tool for mental health and wellbeing. As part of the charity’s work, six individuals aged under 25 have also been chosen to exhibit work as a supporting element of the exhibition.
Marc Quinn & Rankin
A series of new photographs by British photographer Rankin will also be on display as part of the exhibition. A close friend of Lapper, Rankin has captured a series of stark images that chart the grieving process of a mother. From mental and physical pain to glimpses of hope and happiness. The exhibition will display work from Marc Quinn, produced around the same time as the 4th Plinth statue. Differing from Alison’s new work, these sculptures will show the joy of motherhood, in what Lapper called “her greatest achievement”.
The exhibition will chart how one life can encapsulate both bliss and sorrow. It will also examine how the perception of work can change depending on subsequent events.