b. 1957, UK; lives and works in London

1975-1979 Slade School of Fine Art, London, BA


Entering the world of Vicken Parsons’ paintings is a unique experience. The fragments of remembered or imagined interiors and landscapes are small, ethereal, intimate and yet contradictory, opening up into something much larger than itself. This play with contradiction and space are echoed in her choice of materials: painted on thick wooden panels using layers of thin translucent oil paint, her palette of neutral whites and greys will suddenly shock with an introduction of a vibrant line of colour.

For this year’s Cure3, Parsons has created Cloud. Using her signature plywood panel to support the work, the main element is made from a flint stone she kept in her studio, which had surfaced on the fields in Norfolk. The dense, heavy material of flint stone contrasts with its cloud shape and floating appearance, which she has created by working a white China clay dust onto its surface. The artist was drawn to the idea of looking at something dug out of the earth through the lens of the highly synthetic Perspex box. Through the juxtaposition of the different materials and the illusions they create, this artwork extends our perception of physical and spatial relationships, in keeping with other works by the artist. The sharp contrast of the painted acid yellow base of the cube is reflected on the underside of the flint, making the piece also joyful and vibrant.


www.cristearoberts.com
Portrait courtesy Antony Gormley