Patrick Altes was born in Algeria of French and Spanish origins and, as a child, was part of the exodus towards France once Algeria achieved independence.
Since then he has lived extensively in Ecuador, South America and, most recently, the United Kingdom. Therefore it should come as no surprise that a sense of identity, derived from his cultural background is something that Altes finds a very complex matter to explore but one he doesn’t shy away from when it comes to his artistic practice.
Altes’ reaction to his intricate heritage and origin can be seen across a variety of different series and mediums, each exploring the uncomfortable and ambivalent notion of birth-right, diaspora’s shifting and ambivalent attitudes about belonging, dispossession and migration.
He was twice recipient of the prestigious Leverhulme Trust Award and was widely exhibited in numerous public and private collections in the MENA region, including Bahrain Art Fair, Algerianism 1 at Nour Festival and The Bridge in France in 2015. In 2016, he participated with Lahd Gallery at Art16 in Trips to Colourful Thoughts as well as Africa My Africa: Connecting Boundaries and has been nominated in the 7th edition of the Prix Picket Award.
