The fifth and final BCN artist in residence at The Wolverhampton School of Art for this 2024-25 programme is Satinder Parhar. Below you can read a short interview with the artist on his practice. We're looking forward to sharing everyone's work in the group exhibition in May!
Satinder has long produced large scale dry-point prints, which explores the concept of interstitial spaces. Fascinated by natural and man-made apertures; he explores empty spaces such as tunnels, vents, caves, fissures etc. These forms create an intervening space called an ‘interstice.’ It examines the structures, the interstitial spaces formed within and its relationship with the “object.” Do they supplement or oppose each other? The use of black and white emphasises the disparity and the unity between the interstice and interstitial space. The two colours oppose each other, yet work together. The viewer is immersed within this re-representational space through the size of the prints. Both exist in the realm of one another. One cannot exist without the other. The “object” is a mere footnote in the wider spectrum.
Multistory: How did you get into print making, and how has your process evolved over time?
Satinder: I began printmaking at the age of 16 whilst at high school. My art teacher was a printmaker and drawer and it was him who introduced me to this medium. I developed my skills throughout my time there and at the age of 18, I began studying BA (Hons) Fine Art, and then followed it up with an MA at the University of Wolverhampton. It is through these five years I predominately focused on printmaking, in particular dry-point; to which I improved my skill set, knowledge and expertise. Once graduated I persisted with this medium, continuing to produce large-scale dry-point prints, to this very day. The process of my work has remained the same throughout my artistic career as I found my unique style early on and made it my identity.
Multistory: What draws you to working with photographs of empty spaces for your prints? What happens in the transition between photograph and print?
Satinder: The images of the empty spaces are photographs I took personally. These photographs are a time capsule of when I was there. When displayed in a gallery as a print, I aim to place the viewer in my place, which enables them to experience what I experienced in that moment. The size of the print allows the viewer to be immersed. The transition between photograph and print is a process of manipulation. When producing the plate, I will purposely darken and lighten certain areas to allow the dark rich intensity of the print to pull people in. It is this manipulation which must be carried out carefully, as over manipulation can cause the print to become imbalanced and lose its aura. The manipulation allows the work to be deceptive to the viewer without them realising, as space itself can be deceptive.
Multistory: What was your focus for this residency?
Satinder: The focus of the residency was to complete a few recent works I have been working on; both to finish the plates and to use the facilities to print the plates. One of which was a completed large-scale dry-point print and the remaining plates being A4 sized test pieces. Lately, I have been experimenting with the various compositions which would best portray my work. It is these small plates which are important in the development phase.
With the time allocated, I decided to use some of the time to read and research into some places which I can explore; as well as exploring ideas outside the realm of printmaking. To create a balanced body of work I aim to work using a variety of mediums to portray my ideas to its maximum potential.
Multistory: Where would you like to go next with your practice?
Satinder: There are a couple ideas I want to explore, where I have begun to play around with a selection of the world’s blackest paints. These absorb 99.4% and 99.95% of all light respectively. I aim to produce a body of work which will based around the concept of entrapment in a space with the absence of light. This is the opposite of what I currently produce with my dry-point prints, where it focuses on light, depth, and the ability of placing the viewer in a place to fully immerse themselves in the work. I am also exploring the creation of my own ink to use whilst printmaking to possibly use an ink which is darker and richer in tone.
Find Satinder Parhar on his website and on Instagram.