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Born in Quezon City, Philippines, Patrick Cruz is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Arts, Culture and Media at the University of Toronto. He studied painting at the University of the Philippines, Diliman, and holds a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Guelph, along with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Emily Carr University of Art + Design and a certificate in Pochinko clowning. Cruz is a co-founding member of the Kamias Special Projects curatorial collective and has hosted the Kamias Triennial. His artistic and pedagogical practice reveals intersections of folk spirituality, diasporic aesthetics, and cultural hybridity, focusing on decolonization projects. He has exhibited at numerous prestigious venues, including the Vancouver Art Gallery, the Cultural Center of The Philippines, and the Museum of Malmӧ, among others. He has received several awards, including the 2021 Thirteen Artist Award from the Cultural Center of The Philippines and recognition in the RBC Canadian Painting Competition. His research interests include folk spirituality, clown philosophy, diasporic aesthetics, and the processes of cultural hybridity. Cruz's selected exhibitions and performances highlight his engagement with contemporary art and community.
Department of Sociology