Patrick Skals
BIO
Patrick Skals is a Canadian born conceptual artist currently residing in Toronto, Ontario. In 2020, after 10 years employed in corporate marketing, he decided to make a major career shift in pursuit of his artistic & entrepreneurial ambitions. Always operating on the ethos of experimentation and disruption, Patrick’s current body of work delivers a distinctive and unapologetic style that truly speaks volumes.
Patrick’s work fuses abstraction & language as a tool for activism intended to challenge social norms, reframe common perspectives, and expose overlooked ones. By tackling psychocultural topics the audience is encouraged to reflect and confront the subjects applying life experience and subconscious drivers. Although non-confrontational by nature, Patrick’s work emboldens him to express satirical and subversive commentary on popular culture and the contemporary art world. Authenticity is at the heart of each painting, feeling as impulsive as they do calculated. The viewer is invited to feel the vulnerability of an artist battling with himself and his environment.
ARTIST STATEMENT
"For me, art is meant to dually evoke an intellectual and intimately emotional response. It is intended to tell a story; to demonstrate the vulnerability of the artist while innately seeking to uncover similar vulnerabilities with its audience. Of course, art must always seek to make a statement. In that statement lies the beauty. Always operating on the ethos of experimentation and disruption, my work delivers a distinctive and unapologetic style that truly speaks volumes. My work fuses abstraction & language to challenge social norms, reframe common perspectives, and expose overlooked ones. By tackling various psychocultural topics relating to contemporary culture, the viewer is encouraged to reflect, and confront the subjects applying their life experiences and subconscious drivers. It's not for everyone, and given the subject matter, the work will be loved or hated, but the polarization is much welcomed."
