Following two exhibitions nearer to home, Palmers Green artist Patrick Samuel's work goes on show this week at a cinema and gallery in east London.
Clash of the Icons
An exhibiition by Patrick Samuel
12 December 2017 - 16 January 2017
Genesis Cinema, 93-95 Mile End Rd, London E1 4UJ
Exhibition Launch
12 December 2017 at 7pm
Patrick will also be showing a short film about his creative journey since he started his daily art therapy in December 2016, as well as playing music he composes when he is not painting and drawing.
Some of Patrick's pictures were among those on show outside Broomfield Park during this year's Palmers Green Festival. More recently, Patrick's first solo exhibition, Escape and Return, was held at the Dugdale Centre in Enfield Town, as the opening event in Enfield's bid to become London Borough of Culture 2018.
Patrick's second solo exhibition consists entirely of pictures created exclusively for Clash of the Icons, which opens on 12th December at the Genesis cinema in Mile End.
With Clash of the Icons, Patrick invites his audience to celebrate the clash of iconic movie characters and scenes. His new paintings and drawings blend familiar characters with unfamiliar settings, as well as merge heroes and villains in unexpected ways. An ironic look at cinema hits, Clash of the Icons also reflects on Patrick’s favourite stories, albeit not very seriously.
An affinity for film classics
Movies have been one of Patrick’s life-long passions. An aficionado from an early age, he watched films from many genres, developing an affinity for film classics, horror and science fiction in later years.
In 2009, he founded the independent film journal Static Mass Emporium (staticmass.net) where he and his friends write about their favourite movies and TV shows.
Much of Patrick’s artistic inspiration also stems from the movies he’s seen; Clash of the Icons takes quite a different view at the big screen and its icons, just as he often imagines them.
Embracing neurodiversity
Patrick is an artist with Asperger’s Syndrome. Having returned to art after a 20-year break, he picked up painting and drawing again when he started his daily art therapy in December 2016. A time of prolific work as well as recognition followed, and Patrick has embraced his neurodiversity as a gift rather than seeing it as a disability; he’s found his voice and his calling.
Patrick has produced an extensive portfolio in a wide range of genres and media. Being on the autistic spectrum, he is stimulated by bold, contrasting colours, intricate details, multiple textures, and varying shades of light and dark. Patrick is working primarily with pastels, graphite pencils and acrylics, but he also enjoys experimenting with water colours, glass and oil paints.
Patrick’s work and his story have been recognised in local media, and meanwhile featured in magazines as well as on BBC Breakfast and BBC News online.