2012
90 x 90 cm
Digital C-Print
Edition of 10 + 1 AP
In the 9th Century theological text "History of the Prophets and Kings," the proverbial story of the Tower of Babylon is shared in detail, wherein mankind is punished by the creation of almost a hundred languages that causes inherent misunderstandings amidst the masses. In the artist's series "Foreign Exchange," viewers' subtle premonitions are instantly challenged by the image of contrasting juxtaposition of clichés in Western replique cartier and Eastern imagery. Parnes unexpectedly synthesizes common visual misonceptions of individuals yet foreign wardrobe, simultaneously producing a piercing commentary on common humanity as well as dogmatic confusion. At the same, it is a striking contemporary representation of the lessons learned from the legend of Babylon (in ancient texts often referred to as Babil), in which communities were punished with an inability to understand one another, prior to being scattered over the lands of earth.