Platform for Art is pleased to present new work by London-based artist Janette Parris. She has produced cartoon-style drawings of the individual members of a fictional pop band. The images take Piccadilly Circus station’s proximity to the famous Tower Records as a starting point. They are bright and colourful yet the characters, like those in many of Parris’ previous work, appear rather ordinary, unlike the glamorous images of the traditional pop star.
Parris uses everyday people as the basis for much of her work. The new works produced for Piccadilly Circus reflect the pathos behind everybody’s desire to become successful and well known. Despite the pop-star status of the characters the artist has drawn, they still fail to stand out from the crowd. The drawings capture the comic yet tragic truth that to become a celebrity doesn’t make an individual fundamentally any different from everybody else.
It is the subtle humour in Parris’ works that makes them compelling. She consistently takes a dry, self-effacing look at the world and the way in which we are all performers within it. Her work captures the humorous essence of life but always notes the sharp melancholic edge that goes with it.
This exhibition is presented in association with Tower Records.
You can also see work by Janette Parris in her book: The Best of Janette Parris ISBN 1 899282 75 0, Monograph, commissioned & published by Autograph
