Wayne Pate has built a visual language that elevates both objects of antiquity and of the everyday, creating quietly graphic still life works that are rich with art historical refences and playfully reconceive classical motifs. Pate's inspiration, from ancient Rome to the Japanese Edo period, to the Fauves and Cubists through pop art and beyond, stems from his longtime fascination with museums and his many travels. Throughout his careful weaving of styles and symbols, Pate's work maintains a distinctly modern mood.
In his travels, Pate has amassed a collection of historical objects, which include lebrillos, jugs and water pitchers from Spain, ceramics and terra-cotta pieces from Italy and Greece as well as various vessels from Provence, which often recur throughout the work as repeating shapes. Through subtle shifts in size, format, and contrast, these repeating shapes emerge as Pate's own visual language.
In his own words Pate likens his current practice to the feeling of "having been out to sea for a while and now I've come back to port." And Pate has surely taken much from his travels; in some works, you can see the suggestion of the distorted perspectives of Henri Matisse's interiors, with heavy brushstrokes that hark back to those of Milton Avery; in others, one cannot help but find the Cubist organization of space of Juan Gris, but with the swirl of an Ionic column, or impression of an abstracted floral. Other elements are more graphic, with print-like surfaces that recall Fernand Léger's still life paintings and the flattening of space or presentation of compelling objects seen in Ivon Hitchens' works. Pate's works are equally rich in texture and materiality, with impasto acrylic brushstrokes on Arches, French writing paper, or linen. Pate often uses pieces of canvas or linen to collage and create layers beneath the paint, creating a depth to his flattened spaces and graphic use of color.
Born and raised in Texas, Pate left home in his teens, following the lead of a few New York-bound friends: Pate hopped on a Greyhound bus and, two and a half days later, started a whole new life in the city. An untrained artist, he first delved into the arts after learning graphic design programs while working for an advertising agency. After a few years, he then working in graphic design for major fashion brands. Pate also DJed in New York for many years, and wound up designing flyers and record sleeves for a few record labels, and, at one point, even operating a streetwear brand. Around 2006, Pate launched his first online shop and started selling prints and personal work, already playing with the classical motifs that define his work today, leading his work to emerge as part of the zeitgeist of mid-2000s Brooklyn. After establishing his career as an artist, Pate relocated to New Zeeland. Pate's work is included in notable private collections, including The Carlyle Hotel, New York and the Palm Heights Hotel, Cayman Islands. Pate has participated in exhibitions nationally and internationally. Pate lives and works between Brooklyn and New Zealand with his wife and children.