Carson Parkin-Fairley — Le Document

Carson Parkin-Fairley is a multidisciplinary artist, writer and maker who aims to bring joy with her work.

Le Document: A lot of work went into your recent solo show in Ramsgate's Front Room Gallery. Has doing the show been a rewarding experience?

Carson Parkin-Fairley: "Yes I did put a lot of work into the show, but it’s been an incredibly gratifying experience speaking to the public about my work. People have walked in and felt the energy and joy, and it’s a beautiful thing knowing that what you put into work, people receive. Being an artist can be a very insular job, I kind of make things in my studio and wonder if anyone will respond, so it’s nice to know they do!"

LD: How much of the work was new and was made especially for the exhibition?

C P-F: "The works span the past 2 years when I’ve been making art again full time. Some of the icons on show were some of my first created, then the two larger icons of Yayoi Kusama and Jean-Michel Basquiat were done in the last week before exhibiting. So it’s been a lovely exercise just seeing it all together and how my aesthetic has grown over the past couple of years.

The self portrait as an icon I had wanted to make for the show specifically, it is an ode to my journey to self-love and pride. A cardboard mosaic made in the energy of love and celebration. It took me so long to make but I’m so overjoyed seeing it on the wall here.

LD: Your mother and Grandmother have both achieved success - how much of an inspiration have they been to you?

C P-F: An almighty inspiration. How lucky I was to grow up with two incredibly strong, talented women who made me feel like I could achieve anything. I’m well aware I grew up with the privilege of being exposed to the arts in the way I was. My grandma would take me to galleries every day after school then we’d be back in her colourful studio painting.

My mother was nothing if not an inspiration, always grafting so hard, be it writing books or running restaurants, she worked tirelessly whilst raising me and my brother and I have nothing but the utmost respect for how she raised us, we were shrouded in love. And now to see her (my mother) return to making art after such a long time, is a true joy. I was engulfed in pride at her most recent 147 Women Dinner Party project.

LD: People commission you to make work about their heroes and icons - is there anyone you've made a work about you weren't personally that into?

C P-F: Thankfully, I haven’t yet been asked to create an icon of someone I personally dislike. There’s famous people that, with new information, I might find it hard to celebrate in that way, or perhaps I just wouldn’t feel right doing it. But everyone’s allowed their heroes right? So I don’t think I would ever tell anyone they’re wrong for being inspired by someone but I personally might draw the line at turning them into icons. I don’t think, if asked, I’d ever do a Jimmy Saville or Rolf Harris, but hopefully I’ll never be faced with that decision.

LD: How much did you enjoy being a student at Camberwell? Were Art School Days the happiest of your life?

C P-F: Ha! I wish! I think I was fed stories from my mother’s time at St Martins that it would be the coolest time in my life, but I was misled. I think she found her tribe at art school and I found that a lot of people thought they were a bit too cool for school. I was so excited getting to know my peers and everyone seemed to be so nonchalant about the whole experience. That and I think I only really liked one of my tutors. I didn’t end up finishing, worked in bars instead, and for a long time felt like I’d missed out on something. But I realise now, life is a great educator, and everything you’ve done feeds into what you make. So I guess the past two years have been a bit like catching up for me, being in the constant flow of creating and learning and experimenting, like at school, only without the £8k-a-term fees.

LD: Can you make work with the radio on or music in the background? Do you tend to be more productive on certain days of the week or at certain times of the day?

C P-F: I used to write about perfume for a living, and honestly find it impossible to write with any music or podcasts on in the background. With art, however, I love connecting to music or words whilst making. I’ll put on one of many playlists on or rediscover music I used to listen to ages ago on spotify. I like podcasts and audiobooks too. I find when working alone, listening to the sound of people’s voices stops me from feeling lonely. People say your creative brain is more active later in the day so I try to get any admin tasks done in the morning, and if I’m immersed in something I will often work late into the night doing it.

LD: What, in your opinion, was the best art exhibit you’ve seen in London?

C P-F: "Hands down I would say the best thing I’ve seen in recent years was Chila Burman’s transformation of Tate Britain. It was during COVID so the gallery wasn’t open but she decorated its front with this plethora of neon and colour, it was breathtaking. I’d never seen anything so joyous, it was so kitsch and colourful and make me feel like magic. I also really enjoyed Rachel Jones’ recent works for her show Smile at Thaddaeus Ropac."

LD: Are there any successful artists around that you hate? Are there any art world people who represent the opposite of what you're about?

C P-F: "There’s not many people in the world I hate, it's not a very nice feeling so I try to not leave too much room for it in my life. But I suppose I’m not a huge fan of Anish Kapoor, I don’t think anybody should be able to copyright a colour and not allow others to use it (referencing what he did with Vantablack), I think that kind of behaviour goes against everything that art should stand for. I believe art is for everyone and it should never just be exclusive to some. Here, here to the paintmakers at Stuart Semple and how they’re fighting this by releasing the colour themselves, they say only Anish Kapoor is not allowed to buy it which I think is a comical way of combating what he tried to do.For the most part I just think each to their own, everyone has different tastes and that’s why there’s infinite room for artists of all sorts to create, because it’s sure to make someone out there tick. Different strokes for different folks, and all."

LD: What do you think of Peter Blake? Would you say what you make is "Pop Art" or connected to that movement?

C P-F: "I would say there’s definitely an air of pop art in what I make, it celebrates popular culture, I have a love of colour and it’s definitely comical and kitsch. Choosing to focus on who our icons are, and what we worship, now that we’re not as religious. I like Peter Blake’s work, I think his use of colour is great and that he’s done some really interesting stuff but I wouldn’t say he’s my favourite pop artist. I much prefer the work of Claes Oldenburg, Pauline Boty, Yayoi Kusama and Takashi Murakami."

LD: Can you describe a perfect day and list some things that never fail to make you feel perkier?

C P-F: "This question so depends on how you feel of a day. There are so many things that bring me joy, I guess it just depends on my mood. I really like riding my bike, I only learnt to when I was 21 and it’s undoubtedly one of my favourite things in life. I love to eat and cook nice food, allowing yourself to get lost in the enjoyment of things is a sort of meditation, I think. Swimming in the sea, or in a river surrounded by green, in summer, is up there with the most heavenly of experiences. Getting really stuck into a great book, or tv series, or a fantastic exhibition, is a kind of joy for me as well. I’ve always loved film so much that it brings me a kind of peace watching things. But mostly just people. I find it so incredibly hard to be unhappy when surrounded by friends and laughter. "

LD: How come you live in Ramsgate and do you think you'll stay?"

C P-F: I live in Ramsgate because a long time ago I felt like I was too friendly to be a Londoner. I moved to Kent about 10 years ago and met some lifelong friends and that, in turn, is how me and my fiance Will ended up here. We own a house, which I never thought would happen, and we’re slowly transforming it into our vision. And in summer our proximity to the beach is a thing of joy. I hope I stay for a long time, it’s nice to be somewhere that gives you a bit more freedom and space to enjoy life."

Carson has an Elvis themed work in the Always On My Mind exhibition that takes place at The Fitzrovia Gallery in the last week of July.

Check Carson’s Instagram here.