Cornelia Parker

One of Britain's best-loved and most-acclaimed contemporary artists, Cornelia Parker, reveals herself as a painter for the first time as she works towards a new exhibition titled History Painting. Through personal archive, alongside her masterpieces, this intimate film explores Cornelia’s emotional and unconventional journey to becoming an artist.

From her first major solo exhibition, Thirty Pieces of Silver, in 1988, to her new exhibition in May 2025, Cornelia has never failed to impress and deliver significant presences in Britain’s cultural landscape.

As Cornelia approaches 70, and with a recent break-up from her husband and struggle with mental illness, we hear the story of her life as an artist in her own words.

Always driven by curiosity, Cornelia reconfigures domestic objects to question our relationship with the world. Using transformation, playfulness and storytelling, she engages with important issues of our time, be it violence, climate change or human rights. But underneath the powerful messages, Cornelia’s work is delicate and even poetic.

Quietly provocative, Cornelia’s work spans an eclectic repertoire of sculpture, photography and installation. From blowing up a garden shed to flattening silverware, through a combination of visual and verbal allusions, her work triggers cultural metaphors and personal associations that allow the viewer to witness the transformation of the most ordinary objects into something compelling and extraordinary. This film features actuality sequences of Cornelia working on her new exhibition, painting for the first time.

This is a visually rich, touching and profoundly personal look at the life and work of a rare British artist who still continues to make people think.