Paridust in front of the work of Tony Feher at Sikkema Jenkins & Co., New York, wearing Suno. Photograph by Tylor Hou, 2014

Paridust in front of the work of Tony Feher at Sikkema Jenkins & Co., New York, wearing Suno.
Photograph by Tylor Hou, 2014

An architect by trade, New York based Pari Ehsan is taking the world of Instagram by storm. With 100,000 followers, at time of publication, she is using her keen sense of design and taste in contemporary art to merge the world of art and fashion through photographic documentation. Armed with a professional photographer and an outfit curated to match the art she will pose with, Ehsan is part performance artist, part model and 100% fashionista. Paridust, her moniker, was born and under this guise, she has traveled as far as India and tackled many galleries in New York and made two trips to the DIA Beacon. We recently sat down to discuss fabrics, fashion, and of course, art.
KATY DIAMOND HAMER:  I’m really enjoying your Instagram! There is a particular taste level that you have in your visual dialogue with contemporary art, that not many fashion bloggers possess. Let’s start with how you arrived at ‘Paridust‘ and what your initial motivation was.

PARIDUST: Thrilled that you like! My arrival at Paridust really came out of a search for something more free-spirited and fun then the rigidity of my architecture and interior design practice which is what I had studied and pursued up until that point. I’ve always instinctively been drawn to fashion and art but never had allowed myself to fully immerse in it and I saw Paridust as a way to do so. For me fashion is a very important means of self-expression and art takes me out of my own head and enables me to see/experience things differently.

KDH: So many of your photographs are representative of strong compositional choices. You have a very minimal way to use your body that almost seamlessly works with, rather than against, the contemporary art you choose. How do you go about selecting the artists whose work is present in the Paridust feed?

PD: I think the composition comes from my architectural eye, which never leaves me. I am personally drawn to more minimal works that have an interesting or suggestive relationship to space but the way I choose the artists/exhibitions that I shoot is more intuitive. I try to see as much as I can and usually when I see something I know right away that I want to try to create a relationship and document it. I think that’s what is so appealing about art that it evokes feeling and ultimately when I style a pairing elements of that feeling must carry through.

Paridust standing in an installation by Tara Donovan at Pace Gallery, New York, wearing The Row Photographs by Tylor Hou, 2014

Paridust standing amidst an installation by Tara Donovan at Pace Gallery, New York, wearing The Row
Photographs by Tylor Hou, 2014

KDH: Do you need to attain special permission from the galleries/museums before shooting? Have any of them been a challenge to work with?

PD: In the very beginning I would just take my chances, but now, yes I ask permission wherever I shoot. For the most part galleries and museums have been extremely welcoming but there have been a few exceptions. It’s understandable for people to be skeptical at first and I’ve come to realize that some will love and embrace what I do and others just aren’t going to get it.

KDH:  I had the pleasure of briefly witnessing you in your process at the Frieze Art Fair in New York a few months ago. The photo happened quickly and it appeared very natural for you. Have you always been comfortable in front of the camera?

PD: Quite the opposite, I honestly feel as if I am oddly more comfortable in a gallery than anywhere else. I think maybe as the art takes me out of my own head, it can take me out of my body too so I am able to embody something else I am trying to create.

Paridust in front of a wall installation by Philippe Decrauzat, at Frieze New York, Randall's Island, wearing Delpozo. Photograph by Tylor Hou, 2014

Paridust in front of a wall installation by Philippe Decrauzat, at Frieze New York, Randall’s Island, wearing Delpozo.
Photograph by Tylor Hou, 2014

KDH:  Ethereal is the first word that came to mind when I saw images from the shoot you did at Pace Gallery in front of and conceptually inside, Tara Donovan’s index card towers. Can you talk a bit about the dress you wore and if the outfit is inspired by the art or if the art is arrived upon based on the clothing.

PD: Ethereal is very much the idea behind the pairings, for the look to almost float in and out of the frame without disturbing what exists and only to add scale and another layer of interest. The Tara Donovan shoot was actually a bit different, I was nominated for a CFDA award for my Instagram imagery and was partnered with another CFDA nominee, The Row, which was a dream for me. I was planning on shooting at the Tara Donovan exhibition at Pace Gallery and it just clicked that The Row would be perfect to wear. Almost always though, the art comes first.

KDH: I respond to the materiality of art and fashion. They both have a relationship to the human body. Such as in fashion, fabric interacts with and responds to physical movement of the wearer and in art, how the medium is applied if to a surface, worn or built can be very specific to the artist. How important is the fabric to you, parallel to the artwork you are posing in front of?

PD: I would say very, as a tactile person materiality is often the first draw for me.  Material and texture create form and it is these elements that determine balance. I am also interested in the interplay of light and materials, the way it is able to dramatically shift perception.  I’m not interested in creating pairings that are literal so I find the use of fabric in its relation to medium as a way to create depth and a certain level of intrigue in my compositions.

KDH: Lastly, can you give us a hint as to what is next on your agenda? Do you have any specific venues or galleries in mind to visit or particular designers you want to work with?
PD: There is something I’m extremely excited about but for now need to remain hush-hush. I’m in the process of expanding my website and aligning certain artists and designers who share similar aesthetics. I have a lot going on and am delighted to be communicating my ideas with such a wide, global audience!
Paridust in front of a confetti painting by Dan Colen, at The Brant Foundation, Greenwich, Connecticut, wearing Tanya Taylor. Photograph by Tylor Hou, 2014

Paridust in front of a confetti painting by Dan Colen from his exhibiton Help! at The Brant Foundation, Greenwich, Connecticut, wearing Tanya Taylor.
Photograph by Tylor Hou, 2014

For more on Paridust visit paridust.com or instagram.com/paridust

In the mood to shop? Visit the links below for information on the designers and garments featured here.

The Row / Tanya Taylor / Delpozo / Suno

xo