Simon Patterson: Head to Toe
Serlachius Museum Gustaf, Mänttä, Finland
Through 9 January 2022
SIMON PATTERSON
The Great Bear, 1992
Litography
Courtesy the Artist
SIMON PATTERSON
The Great Bear (1992) and Saptarishi (2012)
in the exhibition Head to Toe
Courtesy the Artist. Photo: Sampo Linkoneva
SIMON PATTERSON’s art eludes simple definitions. The curator of the exhibition, Timo Valjakka, classifies Patterson as a conceptual pop artist. In his insightful and often humorous works, he directs us to reflect on what we know about the world we live in and what our knowledge is based on.
The basic elements of Simon Patterson’s works are often entirely familiar. The surprising combination of them, however, shows the world in a new light. Examples of this are wall drawings of football team systems, in which Jesus is the goalkeeper and the players are named after the Apostles.
Names play a central role in Simon Patterson’s art. He collects lists of the names of film stars, presidents, scientists, even astronauts. Sometimes he places them into some completely unexpected element: a map, diagram or instruction manual.
For Simon Patterson himself, each of the name works is a kind of historical painting: “I am interested in, for example, the Apollo 11 astronauts as an historical triptych. Even though we may not necessarily remember anyone’s face or only recall a foggy black-and-white snippet of the landing, when Neil Armstrong descends the ladder of the lunar module, the name paintings represent role models,” says Simon Patterson.
SIMON PATTERSON
Manned Flight 1990
in the exhibition Head to Toe
Courtesy the Artist. Photo: Sampo Linkoneva
SIMON PATTERSON
Enter the Dragon, 1999
Steel mirrors, steel and aluminum signs
Courtesy the Artist. Photo: Sampo Linkoneva
Simon Patterson uses a wide range of materials and techniques. He looks for the technique that best suits each work. Flying and travelling are recurring themes in his works, as are stunts and magic tricks. Appearing as someone else fascinates him greatly as a kind of illusion. He also admits that he uses the first man in space Yuri Gagarin or marine explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau as his alter egos.
The Museum Gustaf’s exhibition includes a series of photographs of his performative works Manned Flightand Landskip, which have been shown in exhibitions around the world. These series of works will also receive a continuation next summer in events related to the Serlachius Museums’ exhibition.
SIMON PATTERSON (b. 1967) lives and works in London. He graduated from Goldsmiths College School of Art in London in 1989 and held his first solo exhibition the same year in Glasgow, Scotland. Simon Patterson’s works has been exhibited in numerous museums and galleries in Europe, Japan and the United States. In 2014, he participated in the Gösta Pavilion opening exhibition, SuperPop!
SERLACHIUS MUSEUM GUSTAF
R. Erik Serlachiuksen katu 2, 35800 Mänttä, Finland
