Pat Phillips’ (b. 1987, Lakenheath, England) paintings combine personal and historical imagery into surreal juxtapositions, drawing on his experience living in America to meditate on complex questions of race, class, labor and a militarized culture. Growing up in small-town Louisiana, Phillips found his way to art by painting and photographing boxcars. He embraces this entry point, creating paintings that discuss the Americana subculture, as well as the current social and political threads running through American culture.

Phillips’ works synthesize his roots in graffiti culture with pop iconography and historically charged subject matter. His works often contain references to confederate flags, fences, and guns—all objects that suggest the violent underpinnings of this country and its institutions.

He has participated in residencies at the Vermont Studio Center, Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture, and Joan Mitchell Center. His first publication, Pat Phillips: Quality Control, was released in June 2023. He has also been featured in Juxtapoz Magazine and Hyperallergic. His work can be found in the collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY; Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY; Block Museum of Art, Evanston, IL; and New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, LA, among others.

Solo exhibitions include Prime Mover, MOCAAD, Detroit, MI (2026); It Was Sunny, but Then It Started to Rain, PPOW, New York, NY (2024); Strange Suburb, M+B, Los Angeles, CA (2023); Consumer Reports, Jeffrey Deitch, New York, NY (2021-22); Untitled (Works on Paper), M+B, Los Angeles, CA (2021); Summer Madness, M+B, Los Angeles, CA (2020); Told You Not to Bring That Ball, Masur Museum of Art, Monroe, LA (2017-18); and SubSuperior, Catinaca Tabacaru Gallery, New York, NY (2019). Recent group exhibitions include Life Imitates Art, Anthony Gallery, Chicago, IL (2026); resonance, Anthony Gallery, Chicago, IL (2025); Inheritances, The Whitney Museum of Art, New York, NY (2023-24); Come One, Come All, Anthony Gallery, Chicago, IL (2024); and Black Like That: Our Lives as Living Praxis, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA (2024). In 2019, Phillips curated All For You, Catinaca Tabacaru Gallery, New York, NY and alongside Coady Brown, Phillips co-curated Routine Malfunction, 1969 Gallery, New York, NY.