ILLUSTRATOR Gabrielle Parker’s delightful, surreal and whimsical creations will be celebrated at this year’s Arts by the Sea, the South West’s biggest free celebration of art, culture, people and place, returning to Bournemouth from Friday 26th to Sunday 28th September.

Gabrielle Parker, the 2025 Artist in Residence, is an Arts University Bournemouth graduate, who creates surreal, theatrical, boundary-pushing digital works that dance between fantasy and fashion. Her practice centres around 3D modelling, conjuring strange and theatrical characters that will bring a sense of whimsy to this year’s festival. Drawing inspiration from the flamboyant world of drag and the transformative work of icons such as Leigh Bowery, Gabrielle’s art embraces self-expression in all its extravagant forms.

The Artist in Residence scheme offers an emerging artist a platform to showcase their work – in a unique addition to this year’s residency, Gabrielle will collaborate with last year’s Artist in Residence, Rebecca Strickson, whose bold, community-driven designs illuminated the 2024 edition. Rebecca will act as a mentor and creative partner, supporting Gabrielle as she shapes both the festival’s visual identity and a major new onsite installation.

Gabrielle says: “Having lived, studied and grown as an artist in Bournemouth, it feels incredibly special to be part of a festival that celebrates everything I love about this community; its vibrancy, its creativity and its spirit of self-expression. I can’t wait to bring my world of strange, surreal characters to life and invite audiences to immerse themselves in playful, vivid spaces where everyone can revel in who they are.”

Arts by the Sea is a free festival that brings together large-scale spectacles, diverse music, intriguing installations, dance, street theatre, participatory experiences and much more. For more information nisit artsbythesea.co.uk.