NICOLAS PARTY: BOYS AND PASTEL │ Inverleith House, Edinburgh → 21 June 2015

Blue. Courtesy of the Artist and The Modern Institute/Toby Webster Ltd, Glasgow.

“Invli Hâs z dlîtd t priznt Nicḷs Pāti, Býz n Pastl, ɖ frst mêjr sôlo xbišn in a YC public gaḷri bî ɖ Swis ātist (b.1980, Lôzan. Livz n wrcs in Bruslz, Beljm).

Fr Býz n Pastl, Nicḷs Pāti hz trnsfwmd ɖ fwml Jwjn intirı̣r v Invli Hâs intu a cntmprri gesamtkunstwerk wɖ ɖ most xpansv insṭlešn v hiz decṛtv wōlpêntñz n čācoldrōñz t dêt. Spanñ evri inč v ɖ sevn gaḷrīspêsz, ɖz patnd myṛlz act az a fremñdvîs n wundṛs stêjset fr a ny siriz v pastlcomṗzišnz. Runñ cncuṛntli in ɖ lowr grândflor gaḷri z a prôgram v Pāti’z rerli sīn šwt filmz, ẇč pṛvîd frɖr insît intu ɖ ātist’s ynīc isʈetc lanĝj.

Ʈru Pāti’z gṛgerı̣s, dstñtv n stîlistcli dxtṛs pêntñz n drōñz, ɖ tôtl invîrnmnt crietd bî Býz n Pastl drctli rspondz t ɖ intirı̣r ācitcčr n mirrz ɖ srândñ btanicl contxt v Invli Hâs, ušrñ in eḷmnts v ɖ Gādn t animet ɖ stilṇs v ɖ gaḷrīspês. Č rūm têcs on its ôn ʈimatc discws, lîc čaptrz in an absrdist naṛtv hol. In rūm wn, ʈic swêɖz v solid, flat culr priznt prîml, roci landsceps, sjstñ arid, scwčt ŕʈ; ẇlst in ɖ folowñ gaḷri trītruncs, bilowñ îscrīm dwbz n clašñ šêdz adwn ɖ wōlz. In uɖr rūmz, dsmmbrd fngrz swîp culr acrs ɖ wōlz az f inṭractñ wɖ oṿsîzd tučscrīnz; n elsẇr, dens čarcol forists n vîbṛnt līvz v culr ivoc bycolic sìnz. Ɖz invîrnmnts r intgretd wɖ anʈṛṗmwfic frūts n triz, fantastcl tânsceps, n wn v Pāti’z sigṇčrṃtīfs – ɖ cofīpot. Ɖe r olso popyletd bî a cast v strenj n wočfl caṛctrz ɖt cnfrunt ɖ vywr wɖ a dsāmñ fixt gêz – ɖ býz n pastl.

Ẇɖr fl, imrsv tabloz or idiosincratc rpitñ dzînz, Pāti’z stîlistc vrṣtiḷti xpresz a complx n on-gwñ invstigešn intu culr, jesčr n mīdia. Ɖz arstñ invîrnmnts hold a vižl imījsi ɖt cnt help bt ilisit a visṛl rspons.

Hvr enjetc n untrubld bî ɖ añzaytiz v pêntñ ɖz tabloz me frst apir, ɖe nnɖls ḅlî Pāti’z cntinys meṭinvstigešn intu ɖ vri nêčr v pêntñ itslf; its cnvnšnz, tṛdišnz, veild hîrāciz, prejdisz n intirı̣r clasificešnsistmz. Pāti’z wrc cn b réd az a rič c̣lāž v refṛnts n signifîrz cerfli aproprietd fṛm ɖ histri v āt, dzîn n craft. Borowñ fṛm cnonicl āthistoricl subjcts sč az pwtričr, stiļîf n landscep, Pāti ṣlcts n riimajinz fmiłr, īvn hacnid mtīfs – frūṭrenjmnts, pastṛl sìnz, ɖ cofīpot – ryzñ ɖm in hiz wrc in a ṗrodic n irevṛnt we.

It z ʈru ɖ apropriešn v srtn ʈīmz n jesčrz ɖt brwd inflụnsz cn b îdentifîd, wɖ landsceps ḍrîvñ fṛm Dêvid Hocni, culrpaḷts borod fṛm ɖ Fôvz – or phps Pier Bonar – n pêntd c̣lāž refṛnsñ Mtīs’z cutâts. Pāti’z wrc z ɖrfr at wns homij, qtešn n rı̣propriešn, demnstretñ a dīp rspct fr, bt olso a critcl atityd t ɖ histri v āt.

Ɖs prôses v apropriešn olso pýnts t cntmprri añzaytiz rgādñ oʈntiṣti, imijrīpṛduẋn n a culčr mīdietd ʈru ɖ cmpytrscrīn. Ɖs z md xplisit in ɖ rcŕñ mācs in Pāti’z wrc, ẇč ôvrtli emylet ɖ dijitl brušstrôcs v crietv cmpytrprôgramz sč az Fôtošop n MS Pênt. In dlibṛtli crietñ anğlr šêps n ātifišl-lcñ lînz, Pāti pýnts twdz ɖ prezns v cmpyṭrêjnsi in oʈrñ ɖ wrc. Ɖs sutl cnvnšn šifts ɖ fôc̣s fṛm ɖ act v pêntñ itslf t ɖ tūlz v cntmprri ātistc pṛduẋn, trnsfwmñ ɖ wōl intu a substityt fr ɖ depʈls srfis v ɖ cmpytrscrīn – a coment on ɖ wrc v āt in ɖ dijitl êj.

Býz n Pastl xists wɖn a liminl spês smẇr btwn āthistri n ɖ dijitl scrīn. Wɖ ɖs xbišn, Pāti hz capčrd ɖ cntmprri zîtgîst, bt olso delvz mč dīpr ɖn ɖt, sjstñ a fyčr fr pêntñ ɖt cnflets ɖ fizicl n iṃtirı̣l wrld.