For greater than a decade, the historical past, lore, science, and symbolism of the backyard has been central to the work of Ebony G. Patterson (beforehand). In the summertime of 2023, Patterson’s set up …issues come to thrive…within the shedding…within the molting… at New York Botanical Backyard marked an introduction to her sequence Research for a vocabulary of loss.
At this weekend’s Armory Present, the artist shares 24 new items from the sequence in a solo presentation exploring the symbolism of gardens and grief.
“Research for a vocabulary of loss XXV” (2024), digital print on archival watercolor paper and development paper with feather butterflies, plastic flies, roaches, spiders, and memorial rosette studying “affliction,” 47 1/2 x 30 1/2 x 12 inches (framed)
For Patterson, the backyard is a wealthy metaphor for the physique. She typically interrogates themes of visibility and invisibility, navigating the intersections of gender, class, and race throughout the context of postcolonial house. In her paper assemblages, Patterson combines cutouts of foliage, butterflies, and blossoms with plastic bugs and mourning rosettes.
“Every bit evokes the imagery of memorial wreaths however with textual content that diverges from conventional funeral associations,” says an announcement from moniquemeloche. “Patterson asks us to grapple with the impossibility of loss, reflecting on an intensive vocabulary centered on phrases like calamity, forgetting, perdition, distress, wound, lack, failure, blot out, debt, damage, undoing, and havoc.”
Within the context of the backyard, the loss and renewal of life are inherent in its pure cycle, and thru vibrant and detailed reliefs, Patterson considers the cycle of grief and the potential for all times.
For those who’re in New York, yow will discover Patterson’s solo sales space on view from September 6 to eight on the Javits Heart. Discover extra on the artist’s web site.
“Research for a vocabulary of loss XXIV” (2024), digital print on archival watercolor paper and development paper with feather butterflies, plastic flies, spiders, and memorial rosette studying “blot out,” 47 1/2 x 30 1/2 x 12 inches (framed)“Research for a vocabulary of loss XXII” (2024), digital print on archival watercolor paper and development paper with feather butterflies, plastic flies, spiders, and memorial rosette studying “forgetting,” 47 1/2 x 30 1/2 x 12 inches (framed)“Research for a vocabulary of loss XXVIII” (2024), digital print on archival watercolor paper and development paper with feather butterflies, plastic flies, roaches, and memorial rosette studying “perdition,” 47 1/2 x 30 1/2 x 12 inches (framed)Element of “Research for a vocabulary of loss XXVIII” (2024)“Research for a vocabulary of loss XXII” (2024), digital print on archival watercolor paper and development paper with feather butterflies, plastic flies, spiders, and memorial rosette studying “forgetting,” 47 1/2 x 30 1/2 x 12 inches (framed)Element of “Research for a vocabulary of loss XXII” (2024)“Research for a vocabulary of loss XXIX” (2024), digital print on archival watercolor paper and development paper with feather butterflies, plastic flies, roaches, spiders, and memorial rosette studying “lack,” 47 1/2 x 30 1/2 x 12 inches (framed)
