In his painting there is a sustained reflective element, a lens through which he reviews his early childhood in Rialto, the extremely harsh realities of school life and the poverty that surrounded him growing up.

Much of his work is autobiographical and reflects on the Ireland of the 1960’s and 1970’s. During his time in studio 468 he explored the concept of citizenship by creating a social documentary of life in the predominantly working class areas of Rialto, Dolphins Barn, Fatima Mansions and the Dublin 12, that was inspired by photographic images supplied by local residents. His joint exhibition with Mark Holburn, THIS CITY LIFE, was opened in Ballyfermot Library in 2018.

Pat Curran studied as a mature student at NCAD, graduating with an MFA from the Fine Art Faculty in June 2014. In the summer of 2015 he exhibited work and spoke on his practice at the Galway International Summer School on Arts and Human Rights at NUI Galway.