REUBEN PATERSON

Thanks Darkness is based on the visible colour spectrum defined by Isaac Newton but perhaps better known in pop culture through Storm Thorgerson’s iconic design for the 1973 Pink Floyd album Dark Side of the Moon. The exhibition includes thirteen works that signal their intentions through the simple rainbow code that defines their structure and sequence, echoing the ROYGBIV colour system that evolves from red to orange, traditionally ending with violet but also here including black and white.
Paterson’s flamboyant, fabric designs are still embedded in every work but their suggestion of a rainbow world of high camp is more layered than ever, having always been melancholic in tone as a reflection on mortality. Their celebratory motifs are an acknowledgement of who has passed through the land before us, represented by the mothballed party frocks, shirts or ties of yesteryear, once owned by friends and family and now a symbol of former festivities. Through the passing of light, Paterson presents us with the flow and flux of creativity and mortality, and a reminder of the impossibility of capturing the present as it emerges from and returns to darkness.