Jemimah Patterson
Born in 1978 in Reading, UKLives and works in London, UK
Jemimah Patterson’s work is heavily influenced by the fact that she is one of a conjoined set of identical twins. This twinning creates resonant psychological dimensions that are reflected in her compositions; paired or mirrored motifs recur throughout her work, often creating surrogate double portraits. She paints exclusively on mirrored and reflective surfaces to align with these ideas around ‘the double’.
Jemimah completed her foundation at Central St. Martin’s College of Art & Design in London in 1997-98 and a BA (Honors) at the Ruskin School of Drawing & Fine Art at the University of Oxford from 1998-2001. Jemimah has had a number of successful solo exhibitions across the world including the UAE, US and the UK and has been involved with numerous group exhibitions. Her works can be found in some esteemed private collections including Her Royal Highness Sheikha Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi and The Dorchester Hotel, London.
Who is your shero and why?
My shero is my late mother, Laureen Campbell. I sadly never got to know her as a mother myself or really as a true adult myself. But she was and is an absolute inspiration and lives with me through every piece that I create. I feel her spirit in my work and my creativity. My obvious double is my identical twin sister. Being one of a genetic pair influences how I see the world, and the mirroring and reflections which play in my work are testament to that, but in the shadows that my work creates, you will see my shero.
How does the work you are presenting exemplify the theme of ‘sheroes’?
‘First Step’ is an ambitious 9-part painting depicting a Victorian high chair painted onto antique drawers from the Victoria & Albert Museum. It brings forward the question of potential and what the future holds: how precious what we have is and how we can guide that. My more recent works since having children have developed and taken on a more playful aspect. Superimposed over the viewer’s reflection, these motifs – all intensely nostalgic – evoke childhood, effectively thrusting one into his or her own past while keeping the immediate present as viewed through the mirror.
