Pattern ID

Certain patterns seem unmistakable: the geometric diamonds of a Navajo blanket, the neatly arranged vines of damask wallpaper, or the interlocking initials of the Louis Vuitton logo. But what happens when you transform the classically sober brown and tan Louis Vuitton pattern into an explosion of bright colors intermingled with Japanese animation forms? Or pair oversized hip hop clothing with damask wallpaper patterns? Combine fussy Victorian style clothing with vibrant, African prints? The meanings and origins of these patterns are transformed into something new.

Over the last two decades, artists have increasingly turned to pattern and dress as a language with which to communicate who they are and where they come from. The experiences of culture clash, immigration and multi-ethnicity in our globalized world have driven artists to use this visual language to chart their personal and communal histories. Through pattern and dress, artists compress time and cross geographic boundaries to illustrate the various influences that inform their cultural identities. The artists freely mix motifs from popular culture, history and art history to transform the meanings of patterns. Pattern ID features fifteen artists of diverse origins who have seized on pattern and dress as powerful visual connectors between themselves, their histories and their audiences.

This exhibition was organized by the Akron Art Museum. Its presentation is made possible by a generous gift from the Adam Fund of Akron Community Foundation with additional support from Herb and Dianne Newman.