The Art of Liminal Investigation: When Materials Tell Stories
in dialogue with material
In an era of velocity and visual noise, Renya Parnes has turned away from the obvious path. In a span of three years, she has shaped ten large-scale works through a slow, intentional rhythm.
How one artist’s nocturnal practice redefines contemporary painting through systematic material exploration. In an art world often driven by rapid production and instant visibility, some artists choose a different path. Massachusetts-based painter Renya Parnes has spent the last three years creating just ten large-scale works. She explains, she is in pursuit of the process and not the product. Leaning deeply into the process of connectivity to the senses and allowing this to trigger what unfolds next. She investigates certain “threads” materially. This is the vehicle Parnes uses to explore higher realms of expression, self-inquiry and spirituality. The result is a body of work that challenges conventional approaches to contemporary painting while establishing a unique voice in the landscape of material-driven art.
in dialogue with darkness
When Darkness Becomes Creative Partnership
Parnes works during the late night hours, describing her practice as sacred. Embracing the lush landscape that the still hours of the night offers. Incorporating darkness rituals and sacred practices to support and nourish creativity.
Parnes developed her recently exhibited body of work titled ‘nights in white satin, never reaching the end’ with the idea of creating an “atelier shrine” — a space built to hold the ceremony of experiencing the work. Designed as sort of a “cocoon” to hold space for the work; and for the experiencer to be immersed in the experience of experiencing the work. A space of intimacy where one could expand into the work. This exhibition was offered in darkness and presented as a “silent” event.
Influenced by her study of social constructivism in university, and her visits to Reggio Emilia’s ateliers, Parnes constructs her exhibitions as satellites of experience — immersive environments that hold stillness, solitude, and sound as part of the work itself. They are fields for encounter. Invitations to listen differently.
in dialogue with nature
The Poetry of Material Fracture
What sets Parnes’ work apart is her approach to materials as active participants rather than passive mediums. She describes using “material provocations” to discover what happens when substances are combined in contradiction—oil-based and water-based mediums dancing together, wax resisting ink, clay cracking under pressure. These aren’t accidents but calculated explorations of material behavior under stress. Her reductive process involves carving into surfaces, excavating layers, and breaking down form to reveal what lies beneath the visible. The resulting works feel archaeological, as if ancient narratives have been unearthed and given contemporary voice.
in dialogue with music (sound resonance)
Referencing artists like Audioslave and Jeff Buckley, titles such as ‘i am not your autumn moon, i am the night’ and ‘and from your lips she drew the hallelujah’ suggests deeper relevance.
Why This Approach Matters Now
In 2025’s fast-moving art market, Parnes’ commitment to deep material exploration offers something increasingly rare: art that demands time and rewards patience. Her three-year timeline for ten works isn’t slow production, but a disciplined investigation that prioritizes discovery over output. For galleries and collectors seeking artists with unique voices and serious commitment to their practice, Parnes represents the kind of thoughtful investigation that builds lasting significance. Her work proves that in an age of digital reproduction and viral aesthetics, there remains profound power in physical materials, extended time, and the artist’s willingness to listen for what whispers beneath the surface of the visible world. The liminal spaces Parnes creates don’t offer easy answers. They provide better questions about what art can become when materials are allowed to lead the conversation.
Learn more about Renya’s work at renyaparnes.com. Pedagogical credits to: The Hundred Languages of Learning by Loris Malaguzzi and Lela Gandini; The Cycle of Inquiry by Jeanne Goldhaber and Lela Gandini; Reggio Children. Lyrical credits: Audioslave, Jeff Buckley, Radiohead, Moody Blues.
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