Everything comes down to the line - the most basic form of any drawing. Parmson traces edges, outline shapes and borders between shadow and light. She’s interested in expanding drawing as a medium beyond its conventionally two-dimensional format.an article written by Carmen Line Hust
ARTICULATE #31 | April 2022 The Estonian artist Anastasia Parmson (b. 1985) creates drawing installations of domestic interiors, that are full of minute details, autobiographical and pop culture references, and sometimes obscure internal jokes.
Travelling a lot and living in different countries across the world has meant that Parmson never quite feels like she belongs anywhere. Her world is a constant intersection of cultures, languages and customs. To Parmson, drawing has been her way of creating pockets of familiarity, of tracing her place in the world. The interiors she creates resemble her Home, they serve as anchor points that allows her to stay grounded and be herself, seamlessly integrating elements of all the cultures she has assimilated throughout her life.
Everything comes down to the line - the most basic form of any drawing. Parmson traces edges, outline shapes and borders between shadow and light. She’s interested in expanding drawing as a medium beyond its conventionally two-dimensional format. |
Her goal is to create a whole environment in drawing, which viewers can walk through and interact with. Parmson loves drawing as a medium because it is at the beginning of all art and everyone has tried it at some point; everyone understands drawing. Specially she’s keen on drawing with ink pens and markers because of the finality of the outcome. The ink and markers are un-erasable, the lines cannot be undone like other mediums. You have to embrace your mistakes and your wobbly lines. This forces a sense of self assurance even if you don’t feel very confident. It is an immediate way of expression and to Parmson drawing is a very diverse medium.
All of Parmson’s work is planned or premeditated to some extent. Many of them are in her head long before they actually are created on paper. The departing point is often a specific story that she wants to convey and later she figures out how to express it in a visual format.
Sometimes a specific object or material dictates the subject matter. As an example, when Parmson found a collection of old books, she turned them into unwritten stories from her own life. In general, she draws a lot of inspiration from her personal experiences, travels and people she has come across. Her most recent body of work revolves around the notion of Home. What constitutes a home? What kinds of objects might be found in it? And how those objects and details tell a story about the person inhabiting the space.
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Parmson wants her art to feel accessible and uplifting. And even though her art is filled with personal stories, she prefers to blank out more than she reveals, to remove any pre-conceived notions and thus leave space for the viewer to read their own stories between the lines.
The favourite inspiration and role model of Parmson is the Swiss visual artist Pipilotti Rist (b. 1962). The work of Risk is sublime, profound and yet has an uncanny self perception, according to Parmson. Parmson adds, that Rist doesn’t simply make artworks, she crafts experiences and emotions. And to Parmson, her installations feel like a loving, comforting hug. Moreover, the ways Rist incorporates her tools into her artwork, definitely has changed the way Parmson thinks and works. Parmson also admires artists, like the French multidisciplinary artist JR (b. 1983), for his fascinating career path, initiated in street art and spanning into documentaries and museum exhibitions, while raising important social and political questions. His style and brand are instantly recognisable, yet he works across such diverse mediums, ignoring geographical limitations.
This article about Anastasia Parmson takes part of the 31st magazine, ARTICULATE #31. Read, download or order your print version of the full publication below.
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