ERIC PARNES

Posted on July 3, 2012 by unit24

For 24Design, Eric Parnes is going to produce a limited edition of t-shirts inspired by his neon series, which explores the dichotomy between Western brands and culture and the Eastern world.

The increasing effect of commercialism and its global resonance has produced a forced dialogue between the East and the West. This cultural discourse stages a unique relationship between the ancient and the contemporary.

Born in the West with immediate family roots in Iran, my vision reflects one’s internal struggle to define identity and can be traced to early childhood experience. As a conceptual artist, the catharsis of creation has compelled me to examine and portray the perceived differences and similarities of the world I was born in as well as the echoes of the eras of my forefathers, allowing me to concentrate on crafting a series of works that revise and explore one’s understanding of ‘The Orient.’

The term Orientalism has been commonly described as the Occidental West’s long time attempt to depict the Middle East. Fantasy-driven concepts and themes, often idealized or romanticized, provided for a continuous melding of these cultures, producing imagery that continues to affect our perception today.Reaching far beyond the borders of the United States and the Middle East, my art assesses the modern, the mystic, and the visceral reality of a Neo-Orientalist.

Today the delineations between the East and West are increasingly blurred, with the cardinal points both exporting and interpreting their respective societies. As an artist seeking to define Neo-Orientalism, my work continues to explore this intriguing correlation and contribute to the intersection of culture and modern identity.

www.eric-parnes.com