In yesterday's post we mentioned an artist included in Seattle Art Museum's exhibition "Femme Noire" (until 30th September) that for her vividly bright and clever photographic compositions may be co-opted one day by the fashion industry.
But there are other talented artists in that event that, at some point, may attract the attention of the fashion industry.
Among the others there is Ebony G. Patterson, a visual artist and educator originally from Kingston, Jamaica but now based in Chicago.
The 2023 recipient of the David C. Driskell Prize in recognition of her contributions to the field of African American art, Patterson has undergone a significant artistic journey.
She initially focused on creating mixed media paintings, drawings, and collages, primarily on paper. Throughout her evolving career, the artist consistently explored the female body as a central theme in her work.
Her early "Venus Investigations" series, for instance, explored the objectification of the female torso, often depicted without a head, anonymously challenging contemporary notions of female self-image and beauty standards. These explorations provocatively extended to taboo topics like the vagina.
As her artistic journey progressed, Patterson embraced various mediums, incorporating photographs, fabrics, and found objects into more intricate and colorful compositions. She began addressing social issues, such as violent crimes, and explored the concept of masculinity within the Dancehall culture and the representation of homosexuality in a predominantly homophobic environment.
Behind her more recent multi-textured and multi-layered tapestries lies a celebration of surface aesthetics. Patterson skillfully combines in them torn papers, tassels, appliqués, beads and jewelry to create visually stunning gardens that gleam with glitter and burst with vibrant colors.
Yet, behind their intricate and multi-layered nature, Patterson's artworks hide dichotomies: the artist juxtaposes indeed beauty with more profound themes addressing social issues.
While initially appearing celebratory, her compositions draw viewers in, encouraging them to uncover truths related to class-based racial issues, social divisions, and political violence. Through these elaborate surfaces the artist looks at the legacies inherent in postcolonial spaces and pays tribute to the lives of those who have been rendered socially invisible.
In Patterson's mixed-media tapestries, there are also hidden undertones, pointing at grief and mourning experienced by many women, something smbolised by hands and limbs that seem to reach out amidst a tangle of appliqued elements and beads.
Patterson's gardens incorporating fabrics and paper flowers, hint at the ideas of death, rebirth, and regeneration: while the inclusion of butterflies and monarchs symbolizes the dichotomous aspects of life, the garden in itself, a recurring motif in her work, serves as a metaphor for postcolonial states, where beauty conceals underlying trauma and violence. Therefore Patterson's art continually challenges viewers, making them feel slightly uncomfortable in their contemplation and luring them into her intricate yet unsettling compositions.
Patterson's innovative approach to utilizing various materials to express the language of art suggests that she could bring fresh perspectives also to the fashion industry.
Her understanding that all materials are valid for artistic navigation and expression may indeed breathe new life into those contemporary collections burdened by fashion fatigue.
Comments