PROJET PANGÉE is pleased to present Low Class Minimalism and the Gentrified Amateur, the first solo exhibition of Patrick Cruz in Montreal. In 2015, Cruz was awarded the first prize at the 17th Annual RBC Canadian Painting Competition. For this exhibition the artist will transform Projet Pangée gallery into an elaborate immersive environment of paintings and sculptures that weave together personal, political and historical narratives. Cruz is interested in animism, which, according to Verwoert, has the potential to give us a sense of connectedness to our surroundings, and perhaps deepen even further our relationship with Nature. Here, Cruz channels the intuitive energy of wild animals and unseen forces, manifested in his use of repurposed materials and iconographic images of untamed terrains and abstract patterned creatures. Cruz continues to construe notions of ornamentation and patterning as a means of re-enchantment and destabilization.

Biography
PATRICK CRUZ (b.1987) is a Filipino-Canadian multidisciplinary artist. He holds a Masters in Fine Arts from the University of Guelph. Cruz’s experience migrating from the Philippines to Canada informs his studio practice, prompting him to question notions of the diaspora, displacement and the adoption of a new cultural identity. In 2015, Cruz was awarded the first prize at the 17th Annual RBC Canadian Painting Competition, which recognized the importance of his endeavours. Cruz has presented his work across North America, Europe and Asia.