PATRICK MCGRATH MUÑÍZ
Artists Statement
As an artist with a Roman Catholic background and growing up during the 1980's and 90's in the island of Puerto Rico, the oldest colony in the Western Hemisphere, my work responds to our capitalist society and consumerism with its indifference to the rising threat of climate change by tracing its origins to the time of Columbus. Adopting Renaissance painting techniques on canvas and retablos reminiscent of Spanish colonial art, enables me to emulate earlier indoctrination strategies and devices from the time of the conquest of the Americas. This in turn provides historical continuity between the Colonial and the Neo-colonial narratives present in the Anthropocene, an epoch defined by the enormous impact of human activities on the Earth's ecosystems. Through satirical narratives and anachronisms present in my art I'm able to explore, understand and question the Imperialist agenda with its colonial roots and the ruling Corpocracy with its Neo-colonial ramifications and environmental consequences in our time.
Filmed by by Christian Passuello
(continued)
After experiencing Harvey in Houston, where I now reside, witnessing Hurricane Maria passing over Puerto Rico and Irma in Florida, where most of my family and friends live, the issue of Climate Change became even more personal. As an artist, I feel a responsibility to re-tell the story of climate change the way I know best, in drawings, paintings and altarpieces. By appropriating figures and icons present in Art History, Pop Culture, Christian Iconography and Mythology, I now create nautical scenes that mirror my own experience living in a world of stronger storms, hurricanes and floods. This re-contextualization of history allows me to start a conversation about what it means to be living in the Anthropocene while shedding new light on how our capitalist and consumerist doctrines have modified our appreciation towards history, nature and ourselves.
Awards and Honors
Francisco de Goya Award, Sala Barna Global Present Art, Barcelona, Spain, 2008
Prima Opera, AICA Awards (International Association of Art Critics), San Juan, PR, 2007
Best of Show, “Divine Inspiration,” Gallery RFD, Swainsboro, GA, 2006
Academic/Artistic Honors Fellowship, Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA, 2004
Gelman Foundation Scholarship, Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA, 2004
Selected Collections
Albuquerque Museum of Art and History, Albuquerque, NM
National Hispanic Cultural Center, Albuquerque, NM
Spanish colonial Arts Museum, Santa Fe, NM
Mesa Contemporary Art Museum, Mesa, AZ
Tia Collection, Santa Fe, NM
Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA
Education
(Summa Cum Laude) Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA: MFA, Summa Cum Laude
Escuela de Artes Plásticas, San Juan, PR: BFA, Magna Cum Laude
Available Work
Madre de Las Ilusiones
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The Call
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La Apocalyptica
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Our Holy Woke Lady of Dreams and Delusions
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Desencuentros
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La Emperatriz
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Lazarus Senex
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Clymene's Children
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Archive: Sold
Santa De Copa y Espada
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Holy Keyboard Warrior
No Mad, drawing
Social Justice Archangel
Nostalgia Bait Madonna
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The Gospel of Capital and Conquest
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Pipe Dream Divine
24" x 18"
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The Tree of Human Progress
24 inches diameter
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