Patrick Kot Solo Exhibition
CICA Museum, Flexspace Section A
September 17 – 28, 2025
2025.9.17 – 28
I Can Dream Any Dream I Want To Dream
This exhibition explores the many paths I can take in life, both as a person and as an artist. At its core the exhibition reflects on freedom, the freedom to create, to imagine, and to pursue possibilities without limitation. By embracing this openness, the works embody the belief that any dream can be realized, and it is this spirit that fuels their creation.
The genesis of each painting emerged in its own way, often without intention. Some works, such as “Going North” and “Impact, Forgotten,” began by chance, when the right place and time yielded reference images that aligned with the vision of this exhibition. Others followed a more familiar process, where an image first appeared in my mind and I then sought out the reference material needed to bring it into being through paint. The choice of materials and mediums felt refreshing, as I allowed myself to move beyond the limits of a single approach. Rather than committing to one medium, I embraced whatever tools were needed, including inks, paints, and pencils, to render each work as true, intentional, and raw as possible. In pieces such as “We’re Too Deep Out Along Nowhere,” the act of creation became a frenzy of layering and mark making, driven by intuition and feeling. This openness to process was deeply freeing.
Many of these paintings began with an intention, a narrative I wanted to create and tell. Yet as I worked through each piece and later looked at them completed, I began to see them in a new light, one where even I did not fully know the answer behind the image. It felt as though I had become both the artist and the viewer, creating the work and then stepping back to experience it with fresh eyes, to wonder, reflect, and begin to understand what it had to say. This open ended perspective feels deeply refreshing, not about forcing a message but about allowing meaning to emerge naturally through the act of creation.
These works carry much of my life so far, from the guardrails that line many of the roads where I grew up in America to the electrical lines that would guide my gaze at night. I think of a memory of looking at a transmission tower in the fields at my family’s farm in Poland, a tower that seemed to reach toward the heavens. Being able to use these objects in my paintings to create feeling or narrative is an interest that continues to captivate me, one that I imagine will stay with me indefinitely.
Patrick Kot is an emerging artist who earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from George Mason University’s School of Art, where he specialized in painting. As a first-generation American of Polish descent, born and raised in Northern Virginia, Patrick draws deeply from his cultural heritage to inform his distinctive artistic perspective. His work thoughtfully blends traditional influences with contemporary techniques, resulting in a unique and evolving visual language. Patrick continues to refine his artistic voice, exploring new media and approaches as he prepares for his first solo museum exhibition in South Korea, I Can Dream Any Dream I Want to Dream. His art reflects on nature, spirituality, and symbolism, combining them in works that reveal multiple layers of meaning. Each piece invites viewers to look beyond the surface and embark on a meditative exploration of the hidden meanings within.
