From time to time, we all change up our living areas slightly to accommodate our needs better. But have you ever wanted to transform your room into an installation?
Anastasia Parmson, an award-winning artist from Estonia, who currently lives and works in Sydney, Australia, perceives both living areas and objects in an unusual way. She turns each object into the art piece itself and then arranges them in a way to represent a normal room. Yet, in the end, these rooms look far from ordinary.
Meet Anastasia Parmson, an artist who paints various household objects in a cartoon style
Image credits: anastasiaparmson.art
Bored Panda got in touch with the artist to find out more about her work.
Anastasia shared that there was not a time in her life when she was not involved with art. “I have been making and studying art in some form my whole life. I began to work with installation art during my Visual Arts studies in France. The idea to create an entire room in drawing came to me at the end of my Master’s course when I made my first 3D drawn objects: a TV and a mailbox out of foam board. After graduating from university, I traveled a lot all around the world, so the only art I could make for a while was digital drawing. In 2017 I began to work on creating black and white furniture pieces and small objects. The installations you see today grew out of that, slowly but surely, over time.”
Image credits: anastasiaparmson.art
Image credits: anastasiaparmson.art
Inspiration came to her from her love for drawing
Image credits: anastasiaparmson.art
All artists get inspiration from the outside or their inside worlds. Anastasia shared that inspiration came to her from her love for drawing. “I don’t design or decorate home interiors. My work remains solidly based in the domain of fine art and creating site-specific installations for temporary art exhibitions. My inspiration for this body of work stems from my love for the medium of drawing. I wanted to push the limits of humble drawing, to see how far I can go with it. To bring the simple black lines off the page and give them more dimension and magnitude.”
Image credits: anastasiaparmson.art
Image credits: anastasiaparmson.art
Through her work, she explores the notions of home and belonging
Image credits: anastasiaparmson.art
She continued: “through my work, I am exploring the notions of home and belonging, stemming from the fact that I myself often feel like an outsider. The domestic interiors I create make reference to deeply personal stories – about who I am and where I come from. There are many vintage objects from the '80s and '90s, for example, items that evoke specific memories. There are also aspirational elements, such as modern design furniture pieces.”
Image credits: anastasiaparmson.art
Image credits: anastasiaparmson.art
Anastasia feels lucky about having had a good experience with art teachers, who have influenced her work
Image credits: anastasiaparmson.art
“My love for drawing was cemented from a young age, thanks to several art teachers and simply the fact of spending a lot of time on my own as a kid. But one specific person was undoubtedly pivotal in my development as an artist and in my way of thinking about art: my teacher Eric Laniol at Strasbourg University. We often hear bad stories of teachers who discouraged people from making art for many long years, sometimes even for life. I am so lucky to have had the exact opposite experience and I would certainly not be where I am today without him.”
Image credits: anastasiaparmson.art
Image credits: anastasiaparmson.art
Her favorite artist, Pipilotti Rist, has also had a great influence on her way of thinking about art
Image credits: anastasiaparmson.art
“My favorite artist, Pipilotti Rist, has also greatly influenced my way of thinking about art. Her use of domestic spaces and her ability to create emotional experiences and welcoming environments for the audience has been a big inspiration for me.”
Image credits: anastasiaparmson.art
Image credits: anastasiaparmson.art
Anastasia says that to make such installations, the preparation can take up to several days
Image credits: anastasiaparmson.art
When creating an artwork piece, preparation is very important. For this artist in particular, only the preparation can take up to several days. “The most time-consuming part of my practice is creating the pure white base to draw on. If I am using real objects, I have to first prepare and paint the surface. If I am constructing it myself, I have to first make it and then paint it. I am very particular and meticulous about the smooth, matte white finish, so that part alone usually takes several days and many coats of paint. The room installation that was exhibited at Bathurst Regional Gallery was about 35 square meters of floor-to-ceiling black and white drawing, all of which combined took me about 2.5 years to create.”
Image credits: anastasiaparmson.art
Image credits: anastasiaparmson.art
Out of all that she does, Anastasia enjoys drawing the black lines the most
Image credits: anastasiaparmson.art
It is common for us to love some particular part of our work. Anastasia shared what she could do all day. “The part I enjoy the most is drawing the black lines. I could do that all day, every day. In fact, I wish I could just spend my days drawing, without having to do any of the other things that are part of my practice or the job of a professional artist.”
Image credits: anastasiaparmson.art
Image credits: anastasiaparmson.art
People see her work both online and in person and there is an interesting contrast between the reactions
Image credits: anastasiaparmson.art
This installation has a bigger effect in person but also inspires through the screens. “I have noticed an interesting contrast between the reactions of those who have only seen my work online versus people who experience it in person. People looking at photos or videos on a small screen often comment how the multitude of black lines looks very busy and stressful to them.”
Image credits: anastasiaparmson.art
Image credits: anastasiaparmson.art
People looking at photos or videos on a small screen often comment how the multitude of black lines looks very busy and stressful to them
Image credits: anastasiaparmson.art
Image credits: anastasiaparmson.art
Image credits: anastasiaparmson.art
In real life, however, people find the work inviting and serene
Image credits: anastasiaparmson.art
“Members of the audience are usually delighted to be able to step into a drawing and let the simplicity of the lines draw them in. Many nostalgic memories are evoked between the lines, be it of their own childhood home or their love for drawing, or, for some, the A-Ha song Take On Me. I always love hearing people’s reactions and stories. It’s not uncommon that people get inspired to start drawing or feel an urge to start coloring. Giving someone that spark of creativity through my work is truly gratifying.”
Image credits: anastasiaparmson.art
Image credits: anastasiaparmson.art
In the end, she always loves hearing people’s reactions and stories
Image credits: anastasiaparmson.art
Image credits: anastasiaparmson.art
Image credits: anastasiaparmson.art
Anastasia shared some good news with her fans. She will be doing an online sale of some limited original works
Image credits: anastasiaparmson.art
“I will be doing an online sale of some limited original works for my international audience towards early November. If any of you are interested in becoming a collector, you should follow me on Instagram or join my email list to stay up to date.”