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The world-bending art of Reuben Paterson (Ngāti Rangitihi, Ngāi Tūhoe,Tūhourangi, Scottish) reaches back to his childhood experiences of the glistening waters and sparkling black sands of Tamaki Makarau's West Coast. His signature use of glitter carries all these memories and the people, presences, and histories to which they connect. Always pushing what he describes as the 'limitless' material and conceptual possibilities of glitter, Paterson's paintings, sculptures, animations, and installations share an optical energy that harnesses the mesmerising effects of pattern, colour, and texture.
Paterson uses the transformative properties of light to reach beyond appearances and pry open the complex histories and tensions that sit just beneath the surface of all things. His art is made in celebration of exchange and encounter, hybridity and fluidity, spirituality and sexuality, and is especially attuned to the dynamics of queer identity and whakapapa-based modes of cultural knowledge.
The Only Dream Left is the largest exhibition to date of Paterson's art. It is less a traditional survey than an expanded installation or an imaginary playground that draws out the range of encounters and provocations that Paterson's art has generated over the last twenty-five years. These centre around the relationships we have with our bodies, desires and cultures, and those we share or negotiate with others. Kaleidoscopic in form and intent, Paterson's art asks us to see and experience the worlds we inhabit in new ways.
– Aaron Lister, Senior Curator Toi & Karl Chitham, Director, Dowse Art Museum
Installation view The Only Dream Left, City Gallery Wellington Te Whare Toi, 2023
Video by Tantrum Productions
Installation view Koro, City Gallery Wellington Te Whare Toi, 2023
Video by Tantrum Productions
Installation view The Only Dream Left, City Gallery Wellington Te Whare Toi, 2023
Video by Tantrum Productions
Installation view The Only Dream Left, City Gallery Wellington Te Whare Toi, 2023
Video by Tantrum Productions
Installation view The Only Dream Left, City Gallery Wellington Te Whare Toi, 2023
Video by Tantrum Productions
The world-bending art of Reuben Paterson (Ngāti Rangitihi, Ngāi Tūhoe,Tūhourangi, Scottish) reaches back to his childhood experiences of the glistening waters and sparkling black sands of Tamaki Makarau's West Coast. His signature use of glitter carries all these memories and the people, presences, and histories to which they connect. Always pushing what he describes as the 'limitless' material and conceptual possibilities of glitter, Paterson's paintings, sculptures, animations, and installations share an optical energy that harnesses the mesmerising effects of pattern, colour, and texture.
Paterson uses the transformative properties of light to reach beyond appearances and pry open the complex histories and tensions that sit just beneath the surface of all things. His art is made in celebration of exchange and encounter, hybridity and fluidity, spirituality and sexuality, and is especially attuned to the dynamics of queer identity and whakapapa-based modes of cultural knowledge.
The Only Dream Left is the largest exhibition to date of Paterson's art. It is less a traditional survey than an expanded installation or an imaginary playground that draws out the range of encounters and provocations that Paterson's art has generated over the last twenty-five years. These centre around the relationships we have with our bodies, desires and cultures, and those we share or negotiate with others. Kaleidoscopic in form and intent, Paterson's art asks us to see and experience the worlds we inhabit in new ways.
– Aaron Lister, Senior Curator Toi & Karl Chitham, Director, Dowse Art Museum