Patrick Fernandez’ solo exhibition Luntian (Green) opens at the 5th Edition of Art NOW Fine Art Fair 2020, Saskatchewan’s premier fine art fair for modern and contemporary art, which displays a choice selection of artworks from artists across Canada from September 17 to 27.
For the first day, an exclusive access code is required for the opening night reception, with open access to the participating galleries’ websites allowed from September 18 onwards. On September 25 and 26, the galleries will be open to the public.
Fernandez is represented by The Woods Artspace, and his exhibition may be viewed in the gallery’s location on McIntyre St., Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.
With his paintings reminiscent of a journey across oceans with remnants of his identity, customs and traditions intact, he draws on the strength and resilience of his peoples to nurture his quest for greener pastures, a comfortable life and better opportunities for his art practice. With gratitude and inspiration, he draws on the quiet voices that keep him going, portrays novel characters with varied personalities and invents hybrid creatures that offer fresh perspectives on growth, being transplanted, and blooming while dwelling on the concept of home and belonging.
Born in the Philippines in the lakeside town of Taal, Batangas just south of the capital Metro Manila, Patrick Fernandez is no stranger to migration as he found himself relocating several times with his family as a child. He watched his father, a cartographer, working both in the field and in the office, draw maps which might explain the young artist’s fascination with the fine lines, grids and demarcation lines that populate his paintings while he uses loose topographic curved lines used to map terrain to delineate his figures’ features.
After living for a few years in mountainous Montalban, Rizal, the whole family was then shipped further north in Lingayen, Pangasinan, a coastal and agricultural town. This is where Fernandez built on his newly discovered talents in drawing and painting, joining exhibitions and art competitions as a student, and finally launching his art career in Manila before flying into Saskatchewan with his wife in 2017.
It seems life has propelled the artist towards greener pastures this whole time as he now finds himself planting his roots anew in a strange place, the most distant from his birthplace thus far. As he dreams of a better life and a fresh beginning with his family, Fernandez in Luntian finds opportunities unfurling, turning chance and circumstance into turning points for growth. For the artist, this is a time for continued cultivation and the expansion of his art production; his concepts budding, flowering, and sprouting abundance.
For more information on the exhibition and the other galleries participating in the 5th Edition of Art NOW Saskatchewan Fine Art Fair, contact SaskGalleries at info@saskgalleries.ca or go to https://www.artnow.ca/online/the-woods-art-space