Joseph Patrick
Damn GOOD Designer GENES
October 3 - January 3
To make an appointment to view the exhibit, please email Manager of Artistic Programming Daniel Jones at daniel@ozartsnashville.org.
One of Nashville’s leading photographers, Joseph Patrick’s work exalts the joy and beauty of Black culture through powerful portraiture. In line with his previous successful exhibits Socialized Experiment and Body of Work, the new collection Damn GOOD Designer GENES looks at liberation through a lens of lineage, love, and legacy — all with a message of self-acceptance at the core. Patrick’s images offer a counter-response to the “clean girl aesthetic,” centering dark skin against bright colors, reclaiming the power that has always been there.
“Damn GOOD Designer GENES is a love letter to the parts of us that have been gawked at, lusted over, or criticized.
These are the parts of us that are in high demand the world over.
Colors represent diversity in diaspora,
Pigment represents our ancestors’ bumps,
Bruises and battle scars that become our birthmarks.
We’re not asking, we’ll grow our own flowers while we walk the earth. “
– Joseph Patrick
CLOSING RECEPTION
Thursday, December 15 5-7PM
Join us as we celebrate the latest collection from Joseph Patrick! Stop by OZ Arts between 5-7PM on Thursday, December 15 to view the work, meet the artist, and enjoy a complimentary beverage. No RSVP required.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
JOSEPH PATRICK is best known for his attention to light and form in figure nude and editorial portraiture photography. Born in Nashville, Joseph holds a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from Tennessee State University. He cites this indoctrination to his obsession with light in both its physical and artistic properties to create photographs ranging from stark, contrasty, and dense to soft and sometimes moody editorial portraits. Influenced by photographers such as TIm Walker, Helmut Newton, and Carrie Mae Weems, Joseph aims to merge imaginative storytelling and physical beauty with surreal and absurdist ideas.
