WildFlowers, 2021
Patricia Thebez
Decade-long journey to find stability and now, freedom, Thebez paints lenses in hopes that individuals with mental conditions can be understood
Patricia Thebez is an artist based on Jakarta, Indonesia. Earlier in her life, she pursued fashion design as she was always intrigued by the relationships human have with their bodies and identities. She began exploring watercolour and abstract painting as a means to cope with her bipolar disorder. Through mark makings, she finds the process calming, spontaneous, and liberating. She gravitates towards free form and colours, which allow her to engage in an honest dialogue.
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In her works she explores her subconscious and invites everyone to immerse themselves in her reality. The painting collection for 'WILDFLOWER' is an extension of this meditative experiment. During the process, she had the opportunity to build a routine by playing and spending more time outdoors to improve her mental health condition. She tried to change the usual patterns of habits that were formed in her mind and break free. She loves its unpredictable process, leaving behind the idea of perfection to create more intuitively.
'My own kind of flower' Thebez imagines herself as a wildflower, growing freely without control
"People often have the impression that I am strange and dangerous at first but that happens because there is little understand between us"Thebez says. In the 'WILDFLOWER series, Thebez wants to send out a reassuring message to anyone who may relate to feeling like a misfit in society. It encourages honesty and inspires disregard for other people's opinion. As the artist uses paining to explore the liberating feeling of being seamlessly and honestly intertwined with society and her surroundings, the exhibition offers space for visitors to similarly confront their own well-being.
Burn so bright by Patricia Thebez (2021).
