Tahn Parr - Reflections of You Exhibition

Tahn Parr - Reflections of You Exhibition

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Posted 2017-06-09 by Marina Marangos follow

Sat 03 Jun 2017 - Thu 15 Jun 2017

It's the story behind what meets the eye which I look for. In this case, the eyes across from me are a vibrant green and instantly draw you o a face, which is thoughtful and creative in equal measure. What meets the eye is artwork by this young artist, which is worth you taking a deep and considered look.



It can be done in the comfort of the Reverends Fine Coffee at 372 Brunswick St, Fortitude Valley, which in itself is just the kind of café I love. Serving good coffee with good art, sometimes some music, just the kind of place you want to keep another eye out for. Check their Facebook page for events and happenings - [LINK=www.facebook.com/reverendsfinecoffee
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Tahn Parr is exhibiting her work there from the 3rd to the 15th June. I went to meet her but also to enjoy the art in this cosy and friendly coffee shop.



The exhibition is called "Reflections of You". Tahn grew up in Zimbabwe. Her mother is a teacher and taught an artist who signed her work Tahn, an unusual name. Her mother saw this and decided this was the name for her, as yet, unborn baby. Perhaps she felt that her child would also love art like her friend.





Tahn drew still lives from a young age and this was encouraged both by an excellent art teacher and at home. Sadly their life in Zimbabwe was becoming untenable and they moved to Brisbane in 2004 where she has been ever since, going to college and doing an interior design course (an easier way to make a living she thinks) but pursuing art courses throughout, experimenting with different mediums, metal work, acrylics and more recently resin which she is particularly fond of.



I asked why she liked working with resin and she explained that this is a medium which has a life of its own for about 30 minutes in which you can work with it. "You have temporary control, a bit like life" she adds, "before it takes its own path". She works on boards, not canvas, to allow more control and she works with primary colours that she then shapes in ways which reveal her mood, her sentiments and her inner thoughts. Sometimes the colours don't come together so she wipes the slate clean and starts again but often she can step back and be happy with what she has achieved.

She describes the process as starting with an ugly duckling which then blossoms into something beautiful. A stroppy teenager turning into a refined and thinking adult. When it doesn't work, that is when she learns the most as she is constantly pushing the boundaries of her art to explore methods, thoughts and processes outside the box.



I ask what has made her create in this way and she recounts meeting someone only briefly in her life who she could detect had an inherent sadness, a veil over their life. This person committed suicide and Tahn has always wondered whether the outcome would have been different for that person if she had acknowledged his pain, if she had shared with him her own anxiety and depression and if she had told him he was not alone in the world. So the artwork emanates from her desire to share this story with a wider audience because she now knows it is okay to have these feelings and acknowledge them and work with them to the extent that you can, to make your life manageable.

Had she not experienced this, perhaps she would not have had the courage to do this and we have to applaud this. 'Reflections of You' invites you to explore her artwork and put your own interpretation on what you see in them. She has struggled at times to produce it but she has persevered and she feels that she has made progress and this is by no means a small feat. People viewing it though may have a completely different interpretation of it and that is fine too.

When you visit the exhibition you can follow the way that Tahn has cleverly displayed it. As you walk in you encounter the bright artwork, those pieces with a lot more light or colour to them. Maybe she says that reflected a happier mood in her. As you move to the back of the cafe, the work is darker but no less appealing and presented in catching combinations, with considered titles. "Life is a little bit like that, moving from one room to another, sometimes in the light and sometimes in the dark or even somewhere in between".



She has been painting more and more and enjoys the process and feels that she is dealing with a smaller more manageable monster of depression and anxiety. She calls it her "Frenemy" and there is a hint of a smile on her face as she says this. Her husband and she have just purchased their first home. Her dining room is her studio and her kitchen the workshop. She is planning a show at a pop-up Art Market in Clayfield in August and I will be going along to check it out.



I just wish my kitchen was as creative as hers!

Go along and enjoy the depths and playfulness of this artwork.
The artwork is on sale at very attractive prices.

Tahn Parr " Reflections of You."
www.tahnparr.com
3rd to 15th June 2017

The Reverends Fine Coffee
372 Brunswick St. Brisbane 4006

#art
#cafes
#exhibitions
#fortitude_valley
#june
!date 03/06/2017 -- 15/06/2017
%wnbrisbane
137188 - 2023-06-13 13:22:29

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