Program Type:
Arts & Culture, Equity & Anti-Racism, Multicultural, Students Grades 6-8, Students Grades 9-12, SustainabilityProgram Description
Event Details
Artist statement
"As a hip hop artist, I find myself unsurprisingly drawn to collage as yet another expressive mechanism through which to rage against the machine. My process consists of remixing sampled images that resonate with me into purposeful compositions on canvas, yielding a collision of pop culture reverence and political commentary. As has always been my commitment imaginatively, I aim to confront the nuance of the human experience by leaning into often divisive contemporary themes with unmitigated intent. Utilizing dark satire, irony, and themes of sci-fi and horror have proven to be poignant methods by which to emphasize the uncanny and commonly imbalanced idiosyncrasies of the condition that is being an American. My hope is that the audience, in exploring the orchestrated relationships between the subjects and their environments, will be moved to engage in an inventory of their own philosophies, whether the work affirms their sentiments or challenges them." —Pat Battle
More about the artist
Pat Battle is a multimedia artist from Forest Park. He has served as a columnist for Northern Illinois University's daily print publication The Northern Star, and has appeared on Vocalo Radio as a featured artist, following the debut of his self produced hip hop album Call Me by My Rap Name. After serving 15 years as a bookseller at Oak Park's beloved and deeply missed literary hub The Book Table, he shifted his focus on expanding his visual artistry. His work has been featured in Chicago Collage Magazine (Chicago College Collective, 2024), and he completed his first artist residency this past spring with the 2025 spring Body Passages Residency program of Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble. This August he will be displaying pieces as part of the Forest Park Garage Galleries exhibition. You can find further examples of his work on Instagram: @sightsampler