Art Basel Miami Beach: Ebony G. Patterson

In Ebony G. Patterson’s monumental collages, gardens are realms of healing and haunting reminders of enduring legacies Color saturated, seductive gardens frequently appear in the collages, installations, and sculptures of Jamaica-born artist Ebony G. Patterson. Although she views these as places of healing, in her work, they are also marked by the legacies of slavery and colonialism. To create her monumental collages, Patterson begins with a complex photoshoot in her Jamaica studio. After printing the images, she hand-shreds and tears the paper, mimicking the act of pruning in gardening to produce new forms. The resulting tableau features branching vines, feathered butterflies, and paper flowers – some symbolizing poisonous specimens – against a white backdrop. Patterson’s deliberate destruction of material gives rise to a vivid array of forms, inviting contemplation on the parallels between artmaking and the choreography of nature. Ebony G. Patterson, ...and the dew cracks the earth, in five acts of lamentation...between the cuts...beneath the leaves...below the soil... (2020) in the Meridians sector at Art Basel Miami Beach is presented by moniquemeloche (Chicago).