Reuben Paterson
Reuben Paterson | New Zealand b.1973 | Whakapapa: get down upon your knees 2009 | Glitter and synthetic polymer paint on canvas | 16 canvases: 200 x 200cm (each) / Image courtesy: The artist and Gow Langsford Gallery, Auckland | Photograph: Schwere Webber
b.1973 Ngati Rangitihi, New Zealand
Lives and works in Auckland, New Zealand
Reuben Paterson’s work extends the customary Māori use of design, pattern, weaving and layering by using seductive new materials. Shimmer discs, diamantés and glitter dust inspire a sense of wonder while also introducing an element of texture to an otherwise two-dimensional tradition. Drawing on sources such as Māori culture and floral fabrics from the 1960s and 1970s, his judicious use of colour, patterning and composition recalls American modernism and Op art. Paterson’s originality lies in the eclectic combination of influences and styles that animate his paintings and parody notions of the Pacific as an exotic paradise. His use of contrasting patterns provides an optical pulse while sparking both nostalgic and celebratory responses. Paterson will make his most ambitious work to date for APT6, creating a visually spectacular set of canvases that shimmer with striking, intricate patterns. Using the formal structure of a kaleidoscope, Paterson’s work conveys an interrelated narrative. Its dark centre represents the beginning of the world in Māori cosmology, and as it moves outward, explosive patterns reference designs in his deceased father’s tie, 1980s New Zealand abstraction, and the colours in his grandmother’s favourite dress.
Exhibitions (solo): Dunedin Public Art Gallery, New Zealand, 2007; City Gallery, Wellington, New Zealand, 2006; Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane, Australia, 2006. Exhibitions (group): ‘Of Deities and Mortals’, Christchurch City Art Gallery, New Zealand, 2008; Prague Biennale, Czech Republic, 2005.
