Emma Pattenden, Buffallo 2, 2023. Image courtesy of the artist.
Emma Pattenden
Gallery 3
Friday 17 May - Sunday 9 June
Opening Thursday 16 May 2024, 6pm - 8pm
‘Monuments’, is an exhibition of vibrant new works by artist and designer Emma Pattenden. Based on observations of the land as terrain, these works use delicate mark making techniques that combine pen and watercolour mediums. Pattenden’s work celebrates the monumental nature of Australia's ancient rock formations, inviting viewers to reflect on the significance of the geography.
In each artwork, Pattenden offers a unique interpretation of these natural wonders, prompting contemplation and admiration for their intricate sculptural beauty. Beyond mere representation, her works delve into the temporal dimensions, symbolising the layers of time and elemental forces that have shaped it over millennia.
Pattendens nuanced mark making method serves as a meticulous documentation of the landscapes ever evolving character. Weaving elements of repetition, surprise, and delight, she skilfully reflects the passage of time and the dynamic evolution of the environment. Additionally, the introduction of watercolour washes adds depth to the geological atmosphere, imbuing the forms with a sense of light and colour that mirrors the vibrancy of the natural world.
‘Monuments’ offers a journey of quiet reflection, celebrating the enduring beauty of Australia's landscape in a nuanced and understated manner. Pattenden’s work invites a response of wonder and physical connection to the land as a cultural entity, encouraging a deeper appreciation for its monumental and ancient forms.
About the Artist
Emma Pattenden is a female visual artist residing in Naarm. Over the past 4 years she has practised as an artist part time creating intricate, methodical and contemplative art that delves into themes of landscape, memory and the embodied experience.
Spending much of her formative years exploring the Australian landscape developing a sound awareness and understanding of our natural landscapes, and the elements of human interaction within them. This spatial engagement drew her into completing a degree in Architecture at the University of Melbourne, which included a year of exchange with the Technical University of Munich (Germany). During this time she concentrated her creative development on experimental works, studies in phenomenology and analogue processes—themes that continue to resonate in her artistic practice today. Consequently, Emma’s art embodies certain spatial and textural details that invite viewers to explore the work, evoking their own memories of landscape, and begin provide a point of reflection on their own connection with nature.
Emma is influenced by artists such as Andy Goldswothy, James Turrell, and Olafur Eliasson, along with the theoretical and conceptual perspectives offered by the architect Juhanni Palasma in her work.
Emma’s ability to express landscape, memory and the embodied experience through her art at a professional capacity has resulted in successful solo shows with Red Gallery, Brunswick Street Gallery and Alternating Current Art Space, and group shows such as the Agendo Art Prize, M16 Drawing Prize and The Adelaide Perry Prize for Drawing where she was awarded the Peoples Choice Award.
