The City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department is pleased to announce that works by French artist Mariannic Parra will be on display at North Charleston City Hall from May 1-20, 2012. The international exhibition, titled In the Distance of the Dream, is presented as component of the 2012 North Charleston Arts Festival, taking place May 4-12. A reception will be held at North Charleston City Hall on Thursday, May 10, from 6:00-8:00pm. The artist will be in attendance and will present a brief lecture on her works at 6:30pm. Both the exhibition and reception are free and open to the public.

Following in the footsteps of French impressionist artists such as Claude Monet, Paul Signac, and Georges Seurat, Mariannic Parra seeks to explore dimensions of light. But, like more contemporary artists such as Dan Flavin and Walter di Maria, Parra’s works move beyond the impressionists by using light as a medium.  Her featured body of work includes landscape thematic paintings using natural materials, like volcanic sand and coal, and contemporary materials, such as plexiglass. Pieces in the exhibit are inspired and accompanied by original poems by her husband, Jean Pierre Parra. Her work leaves us with an impression of luminosity and opens the door for the viewer to become part of the art experience and to work with the light, both natural and industrial, as it moves across the surface of the canvas throughout the day. Light enters each piece and becomes a part of the painting, creating movement and change in the colors that dominate what the viewer sees. It is the quest to understand and master light that the French artist seeks to share. Parra has been featured in solo and group exhibitions throughout Europe and the United States and has published several catalogues of her work. Her studio is located in Montpellier, France.

North Charleston City Hall is located at 2500 City Hall Lane, North Charleston, SC 29406. Exhibition viewing times are 8:00am-8:00pm, daily. Inquiries regarding the artist or purchase information may be directed to the North Charleston Cultural ArtsDepartment at (843) 740-5854. For information on additional exhibits, programs, and events, visit the Cultural Arts section of the City’s website at www.northcharleston.org. For information about the North Charleston Arts Festival visit www.NorthCharlestonArtsFest.com.