Why Patterns?

About

The exhibition focuses on the notion of pattern in contemporary art and showcases the works of artists for whom pattern is either an overt subject of their work or an emergent property resulting from their creative processes. In other words, some are pattern seekers; some are pattern makers.

Just as texture can please or offend the sense of touch, pattern is the haptic made visual. We respond strongly to pattern as a fundamental part of our visual experience; we crave repetitionand order in so far as it structures things and renders them legible. But there is a fine line to be negotiated. Simple repetition rarely satisfies us any more than does total randomness; delight,it is said, is found somewhere between boredom and confusion.

WHY PATTERNS? offers a unique opportunity to enjoy contemporary works by artists whose pieces lean heavily on pattern, each of them investing the artwork with their own quirks and obsessions, enjoying confusion and overload; kitsch and camp; austerity and blankness; pleasure and irritation.