Launched in January 2013, the Perrier-Jouët Arts Salon stems from the roots of the Salon in Paris, hoping to bring together like-minded people under one roof to muse on the Arts.
Rita / Credit: Alun Callender
After winning the 2016 Perrier-Jouët Arts Salon Prize, Rita Parniczky will be presenting her first solo exhibition Weaving with Light at Contemporary Applied Arts later this month.
We got the chance to chat with Rita about her work, what she's planning on doing in the future and more...
Can you tell us a little bit about your solo exhibition?
Weaving with Light is my first solo exhibition. Curator Julia Royse and I have been selecting works from various years: 2009, the year I graduated and from 2011, when I set up my art practice to present years to show the development of my work. I will be showing photograms as limited edition prints for the first time; the original photograms serve as inspiration to my woven materials and are artworks themselves.
When did you fall in love with the art world and decide you wanted to really make a career out of your talents within it?
I drew all the time as a child and I think it was always quite clear I'd have a career in the arts. After graduating from Central Saint Martins I knew I wanted to carry on researching and developing my innovation X-Ray Series further and that meant to have my own practice.
How did you feel when you were chosen as the winner for the 2016 Perrier-Jouët Arts Salon prize?
I felt deeply honoured that the Perrier-Jouët Arts Salon members selected me as the winner. The moment I received the phone call it felt as if life had suddenly slowed down allowing me to reflect upon what had just happened.
Where do you draw influence and inspiration from for your work?
I have been long interested in hidden, under the surface details of objects and things, for example, x-ray films that show skeletal and structural forms. For my final project at Central Saint Martins, I worked in the darkroom using a photographic technique called photograms to mimic the qualities of x-ray films. The results show visual qualities similar to the organic details of the human body. Recently, I draw inspiration from the skeletal forms in architecture such as fan vaults.
What advice do you have for youngsters looking to make their way into the world of arts?
My advice to fresh graduates who'd like to have a career in the arts is, spend enough time finding out what exactly you want to achieve with your work, do a thorough research and draw up an action plan. As much as we dislike the question about the five year plan, it is incredibly useful when we actually answer it; surprisingly, we do have all the answers.
Who are some of your favourite people in the world of art?
Amsterdam-based art and design duo Studio Drift.
If you could work with anyone on an exhibition in the future, who would you choose and why?
I'd love to work with curators and other artists in collaboration to install my work in spaces where the direct sunlight reaching the depth of a room would interact with my translucent material. As light walks through the room it'd gradually light up each work before abandoning them until the following day. This performance would show how the material transforms with light passing through its structure. I am interested in collaborating with artists to create films, projections and other forms, bringing out engaging effects of my work.
What's next for you in the coming weeks and months?
I am currently preparing for my solo exhibition alongside with several other shows I am involved in this year and in 2017. Since my work is time consuming I have to work ahead in advance. There are several projects I have been discussing with architects, interior designers or clients directly; these projects often run for a few months or years.
Rita Parniczky’s is the Perrier Jouët Arts Salon Winner for 2016. Her solo exhibition Weaving with Light will run from 24th June to 30th July at London’s Contemporary Applied Arts.