José Patrício

José Patrício is a Brazilian artist born in 1960 in Recife, where he currently lives and works. 

José Patrício's Art Style 

The work of José Patrício deftly blurs the lines between installation and painting. He crafts his pieces by arranging everyday objects like dominoes, dice, buttons, and nails, forming patterns and images that oscillate between geometric precision and organic fluidity.

His artistic creations are grounded in the logical arrangement of numbers, culminating in a captivating visual journey. His renowned floor installation "Ars combinatoria" from 1999 exemplifies this approach, consisting of multiple sets of domino pieces. When observed from a distance, the pattern adopts a painterly, tonal quality, in stark contrast to the graphic precision of each individual domino piece.

Using an array of materials including darts, buttons, and nails, the artist disrupts their conventional usage, reconfiguring them into novel arrangements that yield unexpected formal compositions. Inspired by Brazil's geometric and concrete art movements, championed by figures like Almir Mavignier, Patrício's artworks underscore the delicate balance between order and the prospect of its disintegration. This exploration suggests that even the most rigid mathematical constructs harbor the capacity for expressive freedom.

Exhibitions of Patrício's Works

José Patrício has exhibited his artworks widely. He has participated in biennials such as the 22nd São Paulo Biennial (1994) and the 3rd Mercosul Visual Arts Biennial in Porto Alegre (2001), both in Brazil, as well as the 8th Havana Biennial in Cuba (2003).

His solo exhibitions include "Potência criadora infinita" at Nara Roesler in São Paulo (2021), "José Patrício: Algorithm in "Object Recognition" at Pearl Lam Galleries Hong Kong H'Queens in Hong Kong (2018), "Precisão e Acaso" at Museu Mineiro in Belo Horizonte (2018), "Explosão fixa" at  Instituto Ling in Porto Alegre (2017), and many more.