Sumasayaw sa Indak ng mga Alon // Dancing in the Rhythm of the Waves 

The MacKenzie Art Gallery is excited to feature artist Patrick Fernandez as our Learning Centre Artist in Residence for 2025. During his residency, Patrick will create an interactive installation for visitors of all ages to explore ideas of culture and an individual’s journey, celebrate capturing the uphill climbs, downhill struggles, and lessons learned along the way. The Philippines boasts 42,000 minor and major festivals. In the artist’s home province of Pangasinan, they celebrate two consecutive events during the months of April and May. The first is the Bangus Festival (Milkfish Festival), which honours a bountiful harvest, and the second is “Pista’y Dayat” (Feast of the Sea), which celebrates the abundance of the ocean. These festivals are a joyful reflection of how gratitude and sustenance are central to Filipino culture. 

The largest mural in the installation depicts a man riding a carabao, a water buffalo and national animal of the Phillippines. Along the nearby walls are 12 wooden panels, each representing a month of the year and corresponding to one of the four seasons. These panels are connected by banderitas (festival banners) that hang slightly loose, mimicking the waves of the sea. Visitors are invited to peek inside the panels to find hope-filled poems and letters. Graphics line the panels, mirroring the density of cities in the Philippines and symbols of abundance found in Filipino traditional tattoos and binunga or fruit. 

Visitors are invited to contribute their own banners to the space and consider the ways we celebrate as a community. How does culture create rhythm in our lives? 

Patrick Fernandez is a contemporary visual artist based in Regina, Saskatchewan. Originally from Pangasinan, Philippines, he creates vibrant paintings that incorporate symbolism and reimagine folklore imagery to tell stories. His artwork reflects his personal experiences with displacement and adaptation, using these circumstances as pivotal moments for growth. 

Patrick Fernandez is a contemporary visual artist based in Regina, Saskatchewan. Originally from Pangasinan, Philippines, he creates vibrant paintings that incorporate symbolism and reimagine folklore imagery to tell stories. His artwork reflects his personal experiences with displacement and adaptation, using these circumstances as pivotal moments for growth. 

His process begins with gathering news clippings of current events, taking notes, and conducting research on places and social and ecological issues. He draws heavily from Philippine folklore, customs, traditions, and idioms, often finding inspiration in selected elements and symbolic references from these sources. The Philippines has a rich native culture that offers limitless inspiration, which he translates into his art-making. He connects these references to more universal themes, intertwining them with contemporary experiences and his perspective as an immigrant. 

By using repeated patterns to express feelings of displacement, Patrick creates ornate surfaces built up through numerous layers of paint application. He juxtaposes visual elements to generate a sense of organized chaos. His imagery aims to stimulate audiences’ understanding of the socio-political issues embedded in his works. Through art, his goal is to create new meaning, provoke thought, engage with audiences, and encourage dialogue.