Patrick Hartigan (b. 1977, l. Gadigal Country/Sydney) is a painter whose studio practice foregrounds material experimentation often emphasising the sculptural potentials of painting. His work expresses the world rather than responds to it, with both abstract and figurative outcomes. Hartigan’s open and sensitive engagement with each element and his process of ‘cooking’ paintings, permitting slow layering and development, can achieve the impression that paintings or parts of paintings have taken shape through events outside the artist’s control and that marks are the remnants or memories of events rather than events born of the artist’s intention.
Recent works have included architecturally-scaled works that were painted unstretched on the ground under the open sky on the rooftop of his Sydney studio. Through collaged elements they extend their interest in shape, colour, texture and sculpture and an economy of production. Value is attributed to every mark, cut, selvedge, and both the fronts and backs of things.
Patrick Hartigan was awarded a Doctor of Creative Arts by the University of Wollongong in 2016 and currently teaches at the National Art School, Sydney. In 2020, he was artist-in-residence at Newington College (Sydn
Hartigan has published two books of writing: The Village is Quiet (2021) and Offcuts (2019) both published by Gazebo Books, Sydney. From 2014 —2018 he was the art critic for The Saturday Paper.
Key exhibitions
Key readings
Collections
Art Gallery of Western Australia
Chartwell Collection, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki
Monash University Museum of Art|
Murray Art Museum Albury
Museum of Contemporary Art Australia
National Gallery of Australia
Wollongong University Art Collection