Interview
Reiko Parisi
Famed for his luxurious fashion designs, Reiko Parisi is an endlessly creative force. His ability to enchant thousands with his artistic creations is a result of his skillful blend of artistry, illustration, photography, light-painting, and AI technology. Parisi has pushed the boundaries of fine art and home decor, showcasing his ever-evolving brilliance.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I was born in New York, on Long Island, however I moved to Florida as a child when my parents decided it was time for a change. My father hated the cold and wanted to live in a state that is practically sunny and warm all year long. My parents went to Florida to scope the place out and decided that's where they wanted to raise my brother and I. I had always had an artistic personality, but it was more in the forms of music and then later I became heavily involved in theater.
After moving to Florida, I was introduced to music at my elementary school. I remember I wanted to play the trumpet and was very upset that there wasn't any trumpets available for me to learn on and began to walk out. The music teacher said, "I have a tenor saxophone if you want to learn that instead?". I turned right around and said "Yes! I play that!" I didn't even have a clue what that was at the time, however I fell in love with sound and ease of playing it. That and when you get to play with hundreds of other people all playing the same song, as well as playing in front of massive crowds, you just enjoy it. Every aspect of it. I played for many years and continued to play even as I transitioned to performance art. Being able to do both brought me ability to perform on stage acting as someone yet that character just so happens to play saxophone as well.
Now there's that bigger kick of a feeling you get in whole body that this is what you want to do. Sadly, life gets in the way of a lot of our journeys and things don't go as you planned. It wasn't until many years later when working at terrible restaurant that I got so bored and fed up with the way things were unfolding throughout my life I just started learning new things. Particularly learning more about photography. I had dabbled with photography growing up but never took it seriously because I was just a kid and it was more just for fun to see what all the functions would do. I hated waiting though, waiting to get them developed. Absolutely hated that. The times changed and so did cameras and so I went back to photography. I found very quickly you could do so much more and instantly too, which I very much enjoyed. I began learning more about it and eventually earned an advanced diploma in digital photography. I continued learning more subjects such as digital marketing, e-commerce, website design, fashion, and art.
When I had originally started building a brand and a business it was focused on art and selling my works on canvas but abandoned it and switched to designing my own fashion brand instead. Which, I do still operate today. It actually wasn't until this year that I decided I wanted to try my luck and see how people would respond to my work as it pertains to art. I learned more about selling art and manufacturers of art, particularly those that can provide superior quality. Once I did some testing and made my go to choice of creation final, I created an entirely different online store that acts as my online art gallery and connects directly to my fashion brand. At the end of it all, all of this to me feels as though I feel into this by accident.”
What does your work aim to say? Does it comment on any current social or political issues?
“I never thought about that before until this question. To me, I would say it is about never fearing who you are. To be ok with self expression regardless of the hurtful things people will say to you throughout your life. There is this constant contradiction of what we're taught as social norms. The biggest one of just being yourself. We've all been told as kids that there will be those that will make fun of you for all kinds of reasons. Regardless of what those reasons may be, just be yourself, be that red apple in basket of green ones, you're unique because there is no one else in the world like you, and so on.. But then you grow up and realize not everyone got the memo. When you're pursuing something different or you're expressing yourself differently there are people out there that are going to be hurtful to you regardless. I feel as though this happens because those types of people don't understand you and it's easier to be hateful. Expressing myself through my art gives me a way to show people a different side of me that I can't physically show any other way. And there no reason anyone else couldn't do the same if they wanted to. If you never try to succeed your successfulness has already failed. Don't be afraid to be different. You are you and you are unique. No one will ever know how unique you are if they never get the chance to see it.”
Do you plan your work in advance, or is it improvisation?
“Hmm, this is another good question. I really want to say both but it is more like I don't know until I've messed around with something. All of my work is digital and as I mentioned before it's quite easy to manipulate images today with all the available technology that is readily available. There are some that I do have to plan out ahead of time. I'll start working on a project, not know where I am going to go with it, then like where I am at with my image but know I'm not done with it. I might realize if I can take a photo of this or one that looks like that I can then add the new image or images into what I have to get it to look more of what I can now see in mind.”
Are there any art world trends you are following?
“There are so many trends happening right now in the world of art it literally seems impossible to keep up with. Between all the different color schemes and palettes we have now and technologies that allows us to create and manipulate images there are infinite possibilities to be created. Brush artists are gaining momentum again with their style and hyper realistic paintings. Abstract artists have invented new techniques of their own to create an outward reflection of themselves. With all of this happen simultaneously I can't follow just one or even a few. My hyper active mind is nonstop so the best way to describe it would be everything can be influential, including all of the different types of art that is out there. Of course, I come across pieces I don't care too much for yet still try to absorb as much as possible. Even though, I may not like something it may somehow inspire me in some way.”
What process, materials and techniques do you use to create your artwork?
“I use several techniques and processes to create my works. I'm a really huge fan of long exposure photography. The way you can capture light they way you do with longer speeds is always amazing. Even bad shots can come out spectacular even if by accident in some cases. I also like light painting as well. Using that combination of the longer speeds and then the ability to basically draw with light. It just fascinates me to no end. I also mix things up by using illustrations that I created digitally and blend them together with my camera shots. Mess with those for a while until I create something I think looks cool and keep going. I'll take pieces of Ai generated images and break it down for elements and add them to the project or do the opposite. I feel a good mix of technique and technology allows me to be become my most creative self. But that's just me.”
“Don't be afraid to be different. You are you and you are unique. No one will ever know how unique you are if they never get the chance to see it.”
What does your art mean to you?
“It means everything to me. What I am doing right now is all that have. I mean, I have a full time job that I work during the week but I’m quite finished wasting my time working away my life for someone else or some other company. After a while you realize you can work two or three jobs and still not earn enough income to survive in today's world. However, I am not looking to be the next break out artist in the world or to generate a billion dollars, I just want to be able to do better in my life than just ok. I was told I would never be successful because my success is only measured by the size of my bank account balance. I don't believe that because even though I haven't lived the most fantastic life I've been able to move past all the garbage that happened in the past and I'm still happy regardless. People tend to create their own version of me in their head without really taking any time to understand me. I find joy and happiness in creations that also bring joy and happiness into other people's lives. From playing music, performing on stage, or with my artworks. I will always remember this father and his son i met at a bowling alley many, many years ago. It was right after a theatrical production I had performed in, the gentleman's son came running up to me pointing his finger shouting, "Dad, that's him!" while jumping up and down. When the father came over to me he says, "We just saw you in that show the other night you had my son laughing, smiling, and he was having the best night of his life because he just thought the world of you." He then thanked me and continued on. I can't really express the feeling you get when you are in a moment like that, but I do know that moments like that are more rewarding than any amount of numbers that sit in your bank account. When I create anything artistically I always wonder if there is anyone else out there that feels the way that kid did when they're introduced to any of my works. I would really like to generate more moments such as that one even if I never see it happen. Anything over that is just a bonus.”
What’s your favorite artwork and why?
“My favorite artwork would undoubtedly be surrealism, particularly the works of Salvador Dali. I have always been engraved by his works. His work always seems to remind me of my dreams, a vivid blend of being asleep yet awake at the same time. My wild imagination also allows me to have very life like dreams that transcend reality as I understand it. The works of Dali strike me with the right vibration that makes me feel connected in ways I can't get anywhere else. I like that it was, and still is, differently unique in comparison to others. Which I hope I can myself convey through my own art.”
