Brit Micho, Associate Curator of Exhibitions
Pat Perry’s most recent body of work explores everyday life in suburban and Midwest landscapes– the true banality that surrounds the majority of the population in middle America. From overgrown yards filled with ages-old junk and neon gas prices hazily staring at drivers to painting eerie images found on Craigslist, Perry’s work explores the passage of time that feels like you’re stepping into a memory.
While growing up in Michigan, Perry developed an interest in drawing. This artistic practice stuck with him into adulthood and slowly he overcame the daunting feelings that accompanied his art practice: the translation of small drawings into large-scale paintings. This ambition led to one of his first murals around 2015, a project that opened the world to his creative passion. Since then, cities across America and countries around the world have invited Perry to paint murals, including Australia, Belgium, Finland, Iraqi Kurdistan, Kosovo, Mozambique, and Sweden.
Multiple of his large-scale murals have called attention to various social issues, including fatalities of undocumented immigrants and the protection of refugees, through collaborations with groups such as AptArts, No More Deaths, and the UN High Commissioner For Refugees.
Perry’s intention with his art is to address moments of contemporary life and show the effects of the passage of time on his subject matter. Suburban and Midwest landscapes blur together, highlighting scenery found across the country. These scenes are not just based on one state or city; they are universal in their appearance, especially if you know how to expose them as Perry does. He documents the world around him through the lens of what someone would see in the future looking back, working as a time capsule of the 21st century. Alongside painting and drawing, Perry photographs subjects of his interest and uses those as inspiration for larger works.
Time Surprise is Perry’s newest painting—depicting a group of people in the foreground that stand next to the large, sublime waterfall, Niagara Falls. The deep blue of the approaching night is settling in around the scene, making the small and barely kept fire just noticeable. The warm pinks of the underpainting pop through the cracks, adding a sense of easy nostalgia, which is then reflected in the heavy mist from the waterfall. Perry often relies on warm and cool undertones to evoke nostalgic emotions. This painting successfully blends the two, both utilizing a warm, reminiscent feeling as well as cold, distant, perhaps even hazy, memory.
Upon deeper inspection, the understanding of the painting is not as simple as it seems. If we focus on the figures, we notice they are congregating around a fire: one figure holding flowers, some figures standing or picking flowers, and one figure holding a candle. This leaves the viewer to wonder what the intention of this group is. Perhaps this is a small memorial ceremony between family members and someone is holding a remembrance candle. Perry’s work centers around the passage of time; therefore, it is possible that this is symbolic of the loss of a loved one.
Surrounding the people on the left are three ghostly outlines of figures which furthers the idea of loss. Are these delicate outlines suggestive of spiritual presence? Are they a symbolic presence or are they merely left over underdrawings? The viewer is left to ponder these possibilities. Another hypothesis of these outlines is hinted at in the title Time Surprise, possibly a warped view of time relative to its viewer. Is this a third person view of an event from the past? Are these figures, in fact, the same figures in different moments at this location, simply captured in one frame? This could include the ghostly outline of the three figures representing their looming arrival or departure to this overlook– making their absence a tangible presence of this piece.
Further analysis of Time Surprise comes when we look at the view from the falls, taken at Lake Erie State Park, NY. In the background, a small hexagon-shaped column is noticeable, but what is it? A radio tower? An air traffic control tower? This is Seagram Tower, built in 1962 to serve as a tourist destination on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. Today, it serves as a hotel. Most notably, it is surrounded by many other tall, modern buildings. Pat Perry’s decision to paint a view of the Falls only seen in the 1960’s highlights the importance of the passage of time and nostalgia seen throughout his work. Another theme in Perry’s work is the subtle confrontation of the feelings that come with human existence. Oftentimes complicated and dejected, these emotions can be felt looming under the painting’s surface.
Especially Terrific: New Paintings by Pat Perry is on view through October 13th.