Opposition and Fellowship – Patricia Paolozzi Cain

Patricia Paolozzi Cain is the latest recipient of the RSA x Wasps Award. Taking nature as her starting point, Paolozzi Cain presents a series of work that speaks to the invisible process of reconciling opposites.

The exhibition, Opposition and Fellowship, is a phrase taken from Richard Wilhelm’s translation of the ancient Chinese book I-Ching, which presents a series of work that speaks to the invisible process of reconciling opposites.

The I-Ching talks about locating the proper position between oneself and the surrounding world and at the same time cultivating an attitude that intends to guide us towards balance and harmony.

With nature as my starting point, I use intuitive processes of drawing, painting and modelling, to help visualise the interdependence that exists between the external world and the internal mind.

I try to follow myself when making art. Not maintaining a fixed state, I try to flow with the changing conditions and environments, always moving and adapting as I go. There are always opportunities for re-aligning one’s own position – a reminder of the ‘uncarved block’.

When I look at what I’ve made, I’m interested in knowing more generally whether there is some sort of spiritual aesthetic made visible in the spatial contents of my work.

My art practice lies at the intersection of cognition and internal contemplative practice. I currently focus on nature as a gateway to the internal mind, and am interested in ideas concerning beauty as a deeper aesthetic, contemplative pedagogy, heart learning and cognitive diversity. Sharing the thinking behind my art is an important part of my creative process. Through self-contextualisation and self-curation, I am able to make my thinking process visible, and this is often part of my artwork. My style of working has chronologically developed through projects that have encompassed artworks relating to residencies, conferences and writings.

patriciapaolozzicain.org

Book spots for Patricia’s accompanying events in Glasgow through the Wasps Eventbrite: In Conversation: Ronnie Forbes RSA and Patricia Paolozzi Cain (12 Sept) and Deep Thinking and Creative Practice: A Symposium (24 Sept).