Patrick Alston, Fruits of the Spirit, 2021. Photo courtesy of the artist.
Inspired by the works of artists like Stanley Whitney, Raymond Saunders and Mark Bradford, Patrick Alston creates mixed media abstractions that discuss politics, identity and the psychology of color, showing the fragility of our understanding of identity. Alston strives to continue a conversation about Blackness outside of tangible structures. Using bold hues, short rapid brush strokes and expressive gestural mark-making, he tells a story of his personal struggles and finding value in unconventional places. Alston uses color as a universal language to liberate preconceived notions about Blackness, Black expression and Black existence, ultimately questioning what it means to be Black. His style, informed by his upbringing in the South Bronx, uses multiple layers, textures and sewn-in elements to grapple with questions of painting and identity.
