Patrick Alston

Patrick Alston (b. 1991, Bronx, New York) is an artist whose paintings explore sociopolitics, identity, language, and the psychology of color through layered abstraction and gestural mark making. Combining recontextualized imagery, rich palettes, and complex compositions, Alston creates dynamic works that draw from the legacies of Abstract Expressionism and the visual rhythms of urban environments. His paintings activate thought provoking conversations around contemporary social experience while encouraging viewers to engage closely with the emotional and symbolic possibilities of abstraction.

Central to Alston’s practice is an investigation into the emotional and symbolic potential of color. Through serial mark making and energetic compositions, his paintings examine the relationship between memory, identity, and contemporary social realities while developing a visual language rooted in movement, tension, and reflection. Titles play an important role within his practice, often drawing parallels between abstraction and Black English Vernacular as a means of exploring the complexities, rhythms, and cultural significance of language. For Alston, color functions as a universal language capable of expressing harmony and discord while reflecting the fluid nature of identity and personhood.

Alston grew up in the South Bronx and studied Art and Psychology at Wabash College, Crawfordsville, Indiana. His work has been exhibited at Art Basel, Art Basel Miami Beach, EXPO Chicago, and Frieze Los Angeles with Jenkins Johnson Gallery. His work has been featured in publications including Artnet, Hyperallergic, W Magazine, and Culture Type. Alston currently lives and works in Connecticut.