Simon Patterson
British artist Simon Patterson gained prominence with his seminal work 'The Great Bear' (1992), a reimagining of the London Underground map where station names are replaced with those of philosophers, celebrities, and other notable figures. This piece exemplifies his approach of recontextualizing familiar information systems to challenge and expand the viewer's perception. Patterson’s art, often infused with wit and subversion, plays with the intersection of culture, history, and identity. His signed prints, especially those derived from 'The Great Bear,' are highly coveted for their cleverness and originality.
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British artist Simon Patterson was born in 1967, originating from Surrey and attended both Hertfordshire College of Art and Goldsmiths between 1985-1989. In 1988 he took part in his first exhibition called Freeze, organised by Damien Hirst.
Perhaps his most notable work is his 1992 The Great Bear, a reworked print of the London underground whereby Patterson kept the structure and layout of the tube lines identical to the original, yet renamed every station. The differing names of each station on each tube line all conform to a particular category of famous individuals, ranging from footballers to Italian Renaissance artists to Philosophers. Editions of these prints have been acquired by notable galleries, including the Saatchi Gallery and the Tate.
In his work, Patterson takes a familiar object and changes it; he visually keeps the structure of the object the same but either rewords or renames the text within the piece. In 1996, he was shortlisted for the Turner Prize for the works he exhibited at Lisson Gallery and Gandy Gallery that year. He has exhibited at many galleries across the UK including Victoria Miro & Hayward Galleries in London as well as Ikon Gallery in Birmingham but also internationally in Japan, Seoul, Sydney and at the Museum of Modern Art, New York.
His works can also be found in the collections of The Tate Modern, London, Haunch of Venison, London, Tuua, Seoul and Roentgenwerke, Japan. Patterson continues to live and work in London.
