Artist Spotlight - Patti Endo

Artist Spotlight - Patti Endo

By Jaishree Ram

Artist Spotlight - Patti Endo
Using a combination of inkblots and fine lines, Numb (shown above) portrays an emotionless portrait, open to the viewer's interpretation. Although the artwork is mainly in black and grey, the openness created through the white between the lines invites a sense of welcoming. 

 

Born in 1997, Patti Endo has achieved so much already and shows no signs of slowing down. Born to a Japanese mother and Kenyan father, Endo currently resides in Nairobi, Kenya. She attended the University of Brighton, studying Fine Art Painting and Critical Thinking before dropping out to pursue art herself and moving back to Kenya, where she joined the Kuona Artist Collective in 2016.

Endo’s work focuses predominantly on portraits and the human body, depicting them in a delicate and vulnerable way. Through line drawings, fine graphic inks and scattered line compositions, Endo explores the body by portraying individuals in their purest, shameless and intimate forms. Speaking of her fascination for the human body, Endo said, “I personally believe that the human body is the purest form of art. Every single bit of it. Nudes in particular. I love portraits as well because they’re full of emotion. Even with a blank face, you can read so much, especially in their eyes.”

 

Most of Endo's drawings take place on small sheets of paper, allowing the viewers to look deeper inside themselves, reconsider stereotypes of themselves and those around them, and challenge modes of perceptions and reality.

Alongside her art, Endo also collaborates with her sister to create ENDO² (Endo Squared), where they create a range of different products, including vases, bags, furniture and jewellery, featuring Patti’s work.

Untitled Nude (shown above) is a purely line graphic art, depicting an unclarified individual whose gender can be assumed but not ascertain. This leaves it up to the viewer's imagination and heightens her agenda of wanting the audience to delve beyond the painting and to reflect upon themselves.