How Cheap and Clean do you get??

Young Jamaican fine artist, Ebony G. Patterson, seems to be the one most sought after by galleries these days.  After winning the Rex Nettleford Fellowship for Cultural Studies awarded by the Rhodes Trust last year, Patterson promised something grand and worthwhile.  It was no surprise that she continued with her exploration of gender, masculinity in particular, and fashion in Dancehall culture. Her new venture is titled, Cheap and Clean: Interrogating Masculinities Project.

Ebony has a chat with some of the fourteen participants in her 

Cheap and Clean Project at Arnette Gardens, Kingston.

The project includes fourteen young men from the inner city, made possible with the assistance of the Multi-Care Foundation of Jamaica, a non-profit organization working with youth from the inner-city in the Arts and Sports. Over the past few weeks Patterson has been working closely with all fourteen boys, learning first hand, from their perspective, how they identify the cultural roles of men in Jamaican society and themselves as males from the inner-city.  


Each child is asked by the artist to design outfits befitting their unique tastes, which they will embellish and later wear for the live projection and documentation of the actual Cheap and Clean project schedule to take place on Saturday, March 10 in Downtown Kingston, Jamaica. The project can be viewed via the web on Facebook through participating pages—Patterson’s artist fan page (Ebony G. Patterson), Alice Yard in Trinidad, Fresh Milk in Barbados, Bermuda National Gallery in Bermuda, the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft in the USA, and Pop Studios in Bahamas.

On March 10 viewers will watch, in real time, a live performance with the fourteen participants.  They will be placed in a constructed photo studio designed to reflect a Georgian dollhouse. The young men in their uniquely enhanced outfits will pose for their photographs, which will be taken by noted Jamaican fine art and fashion photographer Marvin Bartley.

So what is this 'Cheap and Clean' concept? Well, I could easily say that it's a cultural habit fostered by Jamaicans, usually from the lower economic strata, who pride themselves in donning the sharpest and most expensive looking attires, without the lofty price tag. In other words: wearing “knock-off brands” that look the part, adding to the bling and flashy lifestyle. But let’s not judge too quickly, especially for those of us who love shopping in places like China town for our glossy looking “no-name” bags, paying a little extra to get high-end designer labels like Gucci, Prada, or Valentino on them.  So instead of forking out $1000 USD or more, you pay $30 to $40 bucks. Pretty much the same thing, right? That’s keeping it cheap and clean, or rather inexpensive but still feeling and looking like a million dollars.  However, Patterson sums it nicely by calling it “being trendy on a budget.”

Ebony provokes one of her participants further to gather reasoning behind his design

No, your eyes aren't fooling you. Ebony adds the finishing touches to this colourful design by one of the participants

Out of curiosity I badgered the busy artists with a few important questions to further explain her experience with planning the project.

What will you find yourself doing up until the launch of the project?

Well, up until March 10 I will be meeting with the 14 young men involved in the project, embellishing a massive dollhouse, discussing designs with the tailor, Chris Pablo, and telling everyone to friend the Facebook page to see the project. Also, I’ll be talking to (the web savvy) Ryan Lincoln about the technical stuff with the project and waiting on the edge of my seat hoping it all falls into place.

How has the experience been so far,  working with the boys and the young men?

I work with young people all the time and have always loved it; plus I already have a relationship with the Multi Care Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that sets up Art and Sports programmes in the inner city communities and schools. I’m extremely grateful for them allowing fourteen of their young men to participate in my project. This is the first time I’m working with only boys and young men, though, and it has proven to be quite revealing. I’ve learned that some of them have had to grow up pretty fast because of their community upbringing.

What do you hope people will take away from your Cheap and Clean project?

I hope the project will call people to question the performative nature of gender. We are all playing roles—masculine and feminine—and in the context of the Jamaican culture these roles are played amid major contradictions. I’m hoping that by using young men and boys it will indicate a particular place and stage where we begin to formulate these roles, and question how this affects our larger understanding of gender dynamics. Hopefully, people will question, again, whether or not these so-called roles even matter today.

After this outlandish and impressive project, what on earth will you do to top this?

Oh dear! I’m excited by this project, but it does not end on March 10^th. The core happens then, but there is a street video series that goes in conjunction with it. I had a young man, Dushaine Loraine, conduct a series of interviews with men in his community about their ideas on masculinity. These videos are quite raw and revealing! These clips will be compiled in a web archive with the documentation from the rest of the project, including essays from O'Neil Lawrence, Curator for the National Gallery of Jamaica, and Nicholas Laughlin, a writer from Trinidad.  After all of that, I’ve been invited to do a solo project, which will be in Martinique in May this year. I’ll be building 73 coffins in response to the Tivoli incursion that occurred in Jamaica in 2010.

See below, related images from Patterson's on-going Out and Bad exhibition which opened in January this year in the Bermuda National Gallery an runs until May 2012.

Embellished life-size mannequins

"Out and Bad" tapestry

And to think that, at the end of her final response, Patterson has the nerve to modestly say, “that's all” to the various projects she has planned. This forward-thinker clearly does not understand the meaning of “too much,” as she continues to turn heads and wow the art community and those surrounding it with her prolific ideas and execution.  

Be sure to meet the artist herself, tonight at 8pm Jamaican (eastern) time, where she will be delving into her ‘Cheap and Clean’ project. To gain access, simply like her fan page—Ebony G. Patterson, then click on the U-Stream link located on the left bottom of the menu. Oh, and please support Ebony and spread the word.

Also, don’t forget to tune back in on the artist's page on Saturday, March 10 for the highly anticipated live viewing of Cheap and Clean, also through U-Stream at 3PM Jamaican/Eastern time!

ONE ON ONE WITH EBONY...MY FEATURED ARTIST THIS MONTH

I must start off by congratulating Ms. Ebony G. Patterson on her latest accomplishment. She has been granted The Rex Nettleford Fellowship in Cultural Studies. All the best Ebony! I look forward to seeing how your work with evolve over the coming years.

If you are just joining me. I've been featuring one of Jamaica's well noted, young visual artists, Ebony G. Patterson. Catch up her previous features here:

Part 1 http://chevonesefender.blogspot.com/2011/07/part-1-of-2-special-feature-getting-to.html

Part 2 http://chevonesefender.blogspot.com/2011/08/from-gangstas-to-disciplezebony-g.html

The vivacious and opinionated artist shared some details with me, as I dug a little deeper into her life and the mind behind the works.

Ebony, would you say you've found your calling? 

It found me :). I mean if you think about it the conditions were right and ripe. Alot of people did think that I would have gone into performing. But people also knew that I loved the Visual Arts. I have always been a creative individual, so it was inevitable. Can you see me in a bank, in a suit????? Jeans for life! She also forgot to say converse shoes and gladiator slippers.

So you were featured as one of the speakers for TEDx Irie last April. That’s a big deal! Congratulations! What went through your mind initially when you got the news?

Thanks (blush***)! I thought, "MEEEEEEEEEE??????? Oh dear, I have to think about this." Then I said to myself, "are you crazy?! You can do this!" And so I nervously did! I was really terrified until I got up there.

In your TEDx presentation you ended with a rhetorical, 'where’s Ebony now?' So you’ve transcended to using photographical imagery for your work, will you ever go back to painting?

I am always painting! I just had a whole show of drawing in Chicago in March at the Monique Meloche Gallery. I use photography as a tool not a medium. I have not reverenced to it materially, so I treat it in the same way I would a painting, adding physical layers.  But as far as I am concerned I see those as painting ... because the language and the materiality is the same.

Things have a more 'juvenile' approach in Ebony's latest work in progress, similar to that of The Fambily Series. This time she focuses on gangsta babies and kids, with their bleached out faces, bad ass outfits, toy guns with balloons and teddy bears, of course.

Works not yet edited.

From left (back): Nzingha, Aziza, Zjadaine, Malachi, Jake
From left (front): Kaleb, Nasir, Daniel

Ebony instructs one of her lil' juveniles, Zjadaine, in her latest project, while Marvin Bartley shoots (Aug. 2011)

How many exhibitions have you been a part of to date?

Oh Dear Chevy! 'Whole heap.' Hmm, a number ... 40 or more, not including solos. I have been showing since Undergrad.

Out of the many exhibitions, which is the most memorable?

I would have to say my first major museum show, Infinite Islands, at the Brooklyn museum 2007. It was the first survey of contemporary Caribbean art by a major museum. I was just  a few months out of Grad school. Some people dont even get that kind of acknowledgement  during their whole life as artist; and to get that at such an early point in my career is tremendous.

What would be your greatest accomplishment to date and why?

Definitely The Rex Nettleford Fellowship. It's great that they wanted to support my project.

Do you consider yourself successful? Is this where you imagined you would be? Or are you surprised and have you a long way to go?

Hmm I think given where I am, I have aquired much success. But I wouldn't say I am where I want to be yet. Given where I am and how my career has developed things have been moving quite steadily.  But when I was a student at Edna Manley College I wasn't concerned about being a successful artist. I just wanted to make and share my  work.  As I have matured, I've maintained that in order to be where I am.

I'm where I want to be and that is important; but I am hungry for more and that keeps me focused and driven. Am I surprised? Sometimes, but its not because I didn't believe I had what it took. I am just as amazed at the amazing journey that what I love has taken me on.

                            

Outside of the sensationalism of dancehall and how it essentially influences the outward appearances of men in that realm, are there any topics that have intrigued you now that you will explore in the future?

Hmm, I am always interested in issues of gender and ideas about identity; the politics of identity; and beauty, but these are things that I have always been dealing with even before the boys came into the picture. I am not sure if I am so concerned about the future. The work always takes me on a logical course, so the work will take me where ever we need to go.

Do you sense a promise in the art community from the younger upcoming artists?

DEFINITELY. There is always promise. Jamaica has an institution that pumps them out every year. However the larger question is, what happens to the promise? And, of course, just like all students anywhere in the world, sometimes what you study in school is not the field you go into. However, for the few that really want to make it work and keep it going, it takes real commitment, willingness and inventiveness to survive. All of those take real work; and if you are not willing to do that then you can get swallowed up real quick! I think the National Biennials and Young Talent V exhibitions last summer at The National Gallery of Jamaica are  great testaments to the fact that we have much potential. As a community we have always known that we were never short of this.

What direction do you think fine art in Jamaica is approaching and why?

We are being alot more open, materially, but there has always been some sense of openness from the gerneration before with people Like Pertrona Morrison and Omari Ra. But I think some of the dialogues are changing. We are beginning to reflect on the issues of our generation, which is what art is suppose to do—to reflect on the concerns of our own time.  

While the discussions about identity are still ongoing, we now have the examination and deconstruction of an art historical discourse going with the work of young artists, who are the so-called western cannon of art making as a way to discuss social and racial issues. We also have artists who are discussing issues about gender, politics of space and popular culture, violence. These, I think, are more current dialogues that are being added to the ongoing conversation from the previous generation of artists.

What’s next in the agenda for you?

Well, I have a major solo project with the National Gallery of Bermuda in 2012 and another solo project in Martinique.

Now that we’ve handled all the serious questions let’s get to the more fun stuff...

What’s your favourite way to pass the time?

I love dancing! And hanging out with friends, talking about nothing, and going to the burger drive-thru for a quick long bite, round about midnightish.

What can’t you leave the house without?

SUNGLASSES, EARRINGS, AND ALL THE JEWELLERY!!!!!!! I like that people think I am badass sometimes. I think its funny.

Is there anything that gets under your skin?

Men in sagging pants!

Anything extra you want to share with my readers and followers?

Go out and see an exhibition, find an artist friend and be supportive. It is healthy for your development and theirs.

See more of Ebony's works here: 

http://moniquemeloche.com/ebony-g-patterson

http://www.seelinegallery.com/patterson.html

http://www.artitup.zoomshare.com/

Enjoyed the features with Ebony? Please share your sentiments and questions right here on this blog.


Don't forget to catch up on what you've missed right HERE:

Part 1 http://chevonesefender.blogspot.com/2011/07/part-1-of-2-special-feature-getting-to.html

Part 2 http://chevonesefender.blogspot.com/2011/08/from-gangstas-to-disciplezebony-g.html

From Gangstas to Disciplez...Ebony G. Patterson Takes A Creative Approach to Dancehall

“Bleaching...no longer takes on the whole notion of colour inferiority…now it’s a statement of masculinity.”

For someone who has exhibited in more than forty group exhibitions, a growing number of solo shows, and has been feature in countless publications, one would think that contemporary visual artist Ebony G. Patterson has been on this earth for at least fifty years.  But nah, she’s only thirty.

It’s no accident she’s an artist today. Before graduating from The Queens School, Jamaica, she cautiously reflected on her life and what she wanted to pursue. As a child Patterson was constantly surrounded by creative people. Her mother’s first assignment for the then three year old was to draw a roach, of all things.  Her job was so, astonishingly, well done that the precious work of art was readily displayed among her mother's co-workers.

Patterson’s father had other intentions for the toddler, balancing his daughter’s drawing of roaches with birds  by teaching her how to sketch the chirping creatures. She mastered that easily, and while she commandeered the art of drawing she found time with her god-sister and musical neighbours to sing in their back yard.

With that kind of exposure it seemed only logical that she studied at the tertiary level at Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts (EMCVPA), where she majored in Painting. 

“My parents were both stunned when I said I wanted to be an artist and a part time singer.  Go figure,” Patterson  reflected.

Perhaps her parents suffered from a bout of creative remorse. But Patterson continued on a sure path, continuing her studies At Sam Fox College, which led to a secure post as Assistant Professor in Painting at the University of Kentucky. 

The contemporary artist has always been fascinated with Dancehall and its impact on Jamaica's working class. While dancehall culture tends to portray this form of aggression, Patterson undermines that notion in her collage of images—Gangstas for Life, which is an exploration of “the grotesque as the sought after beauty.” 

In other words: bleaching, the noticeable cross gender appearances in fashion, where saggy pants make way for a tighter fit; earth tone and more sombre colours becoming bright reds, oranges, greens or any bold representation of the lively transformation of dancehall and its cultural impact. 

In her recent TEDx Irie presentation held in Kingston in early April of this year, Patterson shone some light on one of her most recent exhibitions, Gangstas, Disciplez + Doiley Boyz. 

“Bleaching, it seems, no longer takes on the whole notion of colour inferiority…now it’s a statement of masculinity,” she explained.

Exhibit A: Patterson's impression of gangstas, their styles, and their bleaching

Behind the Scenes -- 'Gully Godz in Conversation', 2009 (Shot by Monique Gilpin)

I suppose if you consider the recent buzz surrounding Dancehall artiste Vybz Kartel and his proud proclamation of de-colouring his skin tone, one sees her point.  Kartel makes it clear that he is not uncomfortable with his race and instead glamorizes bleaching as a way of making him more attractive and desirable to the opposite sex.

Currently, Patterson is expanding her line of work, staying true to the dancehall stereotypes and prototypes. Her work in progress under The Fambily Series called The Brella Crew, is an impression taken in part from Kartel’s infamous personification of Michael Jackson having to walk under an umbrella when in day light to protect his skin from the sun. This work in progress will highlight in more detail how dancehall has not only shaped the individual, but the family unit. 


With the help of Photographer, Marvin Bartley, her two assistants, and models with impressive 'gangsta' impersonations, Patterson was able to pull off her latest project on the Brella Crew. Now she's even adding more intrigue by adding her interpretation, in pure Ebony form, of young gangsta disciplez, i.e., young children and teenagers.

See behind the scenes of the Brella Crew shoot here:

Her very own Vybz Kartel.  Ebony applies glitter to her models face to give the perfect bleaching effect.

With an assortment of gansta babies, teens and pack leaders, Ebony heavily deliberates the placement of each model for the perfect Brella Crew Fambily Portrait

gangsta babies Aziza (left) and Daniel (right) have no qualms about bringing it for the camera

Take a closer look at some of Ebony's works over the years:

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Join me a week from today, Monday, August 15 for a continuation of Ebony's feature: Part III titled "In conversation with Ebony G. Patterson"

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