The foundations of the works by José Patrício lay in logical numerical combination to create a visual experience. He is best known for his floor installation Ars combinatoria, 1999, composed of several domino piece sets. When viewed from afar, the pattern assumes an almost painterly, tonal, overall appearance which contrasts to the graphism of each individual domino piece.
Read MoreEmploying various materials, such as darts, buttons and nails, the artist removes the traditional usage of these materials and reassembles them in a new order that results in unexpected formal compositions. Influenced by the geometric and concrete art movements in Brazil (heralded by Almir Mavignier), his works emphasize the fragile relation between order and the possibility of its dissolution, suggesting that even the most rigid mathematical formula has the potential of containing its own expressivity.
José Patrício was born in 1960 in Recife, where he lives and works. He featured in biennials such as the 22nd São Paulo Biennial (1994) and the 3rd Mercosul Visual Arts Biennial, in Porto Alegre (2001), both in Brazil; and the 8th Havana Biennial, in Cuba (2003). His work is included in the collections of Fondation Cartier pour L'Art Contemporain, Paris, France; Museu de Arte Moderna Aloisio Magalhães, Recife, Brazil; Fundação Joaquim Nabuco, Recife, Brazil; Museu de Arte Moderna da Bahia, Salvador, Brazil; Itaú Cultural, São Paulo, Brazil; Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; and Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro / Gilberto Chateaubriand, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; among others.
Text courtesy Galeria Nara Roesler.
