Toby Paterson: Generosity

April 22 thru June 17, 2007
opening: Saturday April, 21 at 5 pm
Location: Hogewal 1-9

The British artist Toby Paterson (1974, Glasgow) is fascinated by modernism in the art of painting, sculpture and architecture, with special emphasis on its underlying ideologies. With regard to social housing projects the ideal of a malleable society led to an emphasis on efficiency, social wellfare, attention to public space, purity.

Toby Paterson usually focuses his attention on the often dilapidated modernist architecture which is gradually disappearing from the urban landscape as the result of subsequent planning and design developments. He represents these architectural elements in such a tranquil, sophisticated and aesthetic manner that their inner beauty is regained. And implicitly the lost ideals are weighed and made visible again.

Following an intensive period of research and analysis in The Hague, Toby Paterson's exhibition at Stroom will feature new work exclusively. Specific sources of inspiration for him were the post-war redevelopment area of The Hague South West, the Black Madonna social housing block (designed by Carel Weeber), and the building of the Ministry of Finance. All three are in the midst of radical transformation. Paterson will show paintings, works on Perspex, sculptures and photographs.

Toby Paterson, who used to explore the urban environment as an impassioned skateboarder, is generally viewed as one of today's leading British artists. Winner of the Beck's Futures Award in 2002, he is currently working on a prestigious commission for the new headquarters of BBC Scotland in Glasgow. Last year De Vleeshal, Middelburg (NL) presented a survey of his work entitled ‘Broken Arabesque'.

De Zwarte Madonna/The Black Madonna
website architectuur.org

The exhibition is made possible in part by the Mondriaan Foundation and Modern Institute Glasgow.