NAM.2020-09-7-1-1

‘Legs’, 2013. Oil on board, signed lower right ‘HP’, by Capt Harry Parker (1983-), 2013. Depiction of two prosthetic legs in an Italian landscape. Associated with Capt Harry Parker, The Rifles, Operation HERRICK, Afghanistan, (2002-2014) 2001- . Harry Parker studied Art before he joined the Army in 2006. He lost both legs when he stepped on an IED, while leading a foot patrol in Afghanistan in 2009. Parker painted ‘Legs’ during a painting trip in Italy in 2013. He had not painted in years and this was the moment he realised he could still paint, so there were other options for him other than being a soldier. The painting is a play on standing in a landscape, looking at the absence of a person in a landscape. Harry’s prosthetic legs are linked to the way he feels about himself and the idea of his identity. His relationship with the equipment he uses for his rehabilitation and his prosthetics is a complex one, as he feels they give him freedom but also constant pain; they can feel like a prison, as much of his identity for others are his legs.

HERRICK, Operation, 2002-14 (Afghanistan 2001-2021)