Nara Roesler New York is pleased to present the first solo exhibition of José Patrício in the United States. Bringing together approximately 15 works created by the artist from 2005 to 2023, the exhibition opens to the public on September 6, 2023.
José Patrício's artistic production began in the 1970s, initially focused on printmaking and later exploring the expressive potential of paper itself, through its colors, textures, and formal arrangements in compositional space. However, from the late 1990s, his practice shifted towards popular industrially produced materials commonly found in everyday life, such as buttons, domino pieces, dice, and others. Using these elements, the artist creats extremely sophisticated abstract structures that respond to mathematical permutations and serial unfoldings.
For his first exhibition in New York, Josė Patricio has gathered a group of works made of small plastic pieces used in puzzle games, which the artist began using in the 2000s as materials for his serialized compositions. In earlier works, these small elements were incorporated with their original prints and designs, as found objects. However, in recent years, the artist has commissioned these pieces directly from the factory that produces them, allowing him to define the shades of puzzle patterns in order to broaden the compositional spectrum of his works. The potential arrangements of tonal combinations are determined through mathematical formulas and explored in as many possibilities as possible. According to the artist, while the results of his works are achieved through prior mathematical operations, the visual experience they provide is unpredictable.
Most of the works presented in the exhibition showcase variations of tones that range from black to white, passing through shades of gray and blue. The arrangements of these colors in different tonal sequences make these compositions deeply dynamic, with interplays of luminosity and movement. In the series Acumulações Progressivas (Progressive Accumulations), developed since 2014, José Patrício works with pieces in colors without intermediate tones, resulting in a vibrant effect caused by intense chromatic contrasts.
The exhibition also features the series "Recipientes" (Containers), equally made with puzzle pieces but featuring them in reverse. A small cavity visible on the back of the piece, sort of a container, allows the artist to fill it with enamel paint, traditionally used in this type of piece. According to Patrício, this work constitutes a kind of "expanded painting”, a sort of altered found object base so the backsides of the pieces can function as chromatic containers, enriching the compositions.
