Artist Statement
Shawn Mankowske is a Canadian abstract painter whose practice is rooted in intuitive mark-making, material sensitivity, and the contemplative rhythms of time. Based in Calgary, Alberta, and trained at the Alberta College of Art and Design (BFA with Distinction, 2007), Shawn approaches painting as both an aesthetic and existential act—a record of presence, absence, and becoming.
His work draws on the language of abstraction to create visual spaces where simplicity and complexity coexist. Each painting is built through a layered process of painting and drawing, which serve not only as formal tools but as meditative rituals. For Shawn, painting is a portrait of an unknown time—one that lives in the space between the artist and the viewer. It is a practice of deep honesty, where the canvas becomes a site for mutual reflection, intuition, and emotional intelligence.
His compositions invite a quiet confrontation—between gesture and stillness, opacity and transparency, control and release. In a world increasingly driven by immediacy and distraction, Shawn’s work offers a return to slowness and presence. His paintings are not declarations but invitations—to look, to feel, to remember.
Biography
Born and raised in Whitehorse, Yukon, Shawn Mankowske relocated to Calgary, Alberta in 2000 to pursue a formal education in the arts. He graduated with distinction from the Painting program at the Alberta College of Art and Design (now AUArts) in 2007. Since then, Shawn has played a key role in shaping Calgary’s contemporary art landscape—not only through his painting practice, but also through curatorial initiatives and innovative approaches to exhibition-making.
A co-founder of 809 Gallery, WRECK CITY, and Phantom Wing at the historic King Edward School, as well as Demo-Tape in partnership with Sled Island (2015), Shawn’s work extends beyond the studio to activate public imagination and reimagine the potential of artist-run culture. His curatorial experience and community-building projects reflect a deep understanding of the mechanics of the art world and a commitment to creating platforms for emerging and underrepresented voices.
Shawn’s work has been exhibited widely and continues to evolve in dialogue with place, memory, and material. Whether through canvas or collaborative intervention, he remains dedicated to making work that bridges the poetic and the practical, the personal and the collective.