Details:
① Artwork:
FRUIT BOAT
This drawing, a detailed vignette influenced by old school animation, features dense layers of graphite that reveal high-contrast graphics and dizzying patterns. Christian's carefully rendered works weave together influences from pop culture and Chicago-style figuration into surreal yet personal narratives that are partly fueled by his upbringing in the suburbs of Illinois. The artist's wiggly figures and hazy landscapes evoke slow motion, while his recent compositions have included commentary on nationwide and worldwide crises. Christian's work focuses on the paradoxical relationship between childish cartoons and ominous messages—while musing on the technological and material obsolescence of his primary inspirations.
Specs:
③ Artist:
Ryan Travis Christian’s graphite drawings feature surreal narratives that are partly fueled by his upbringing in the suburbs. Chicago-style figuration, vintage political cartoons and hand-drawn animation influence the artist’s detailed vignettes. Exposing the untidy lifestyle of contemporary humanity through a vast array of topics and imagery, Christian’s work focuses on the paradoxical relationship between childish cartoons and ominous messages—while musing on the technological and material obsolescence of the artist’s primary inspirations.
BIO:
Ryan Travis Christian was born in Oakland, California in 1983, and grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois in the 1990s. The artist received a BFA from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois in 2007.
Solo and two-person exhibitions of Christian’s work have taken place at: Over the Influence in Hong Kong, China; ross+kramer gallery in New York City; Arsham/Fieg Gallery in New York City; Richard Heller Gallery in Santa Monica, California; the Contemporary Art Museum in Raleigh, North Carolina; and The Hole in New York City.
Group exhibitions that have included Christian’s work have taken place in: Antwerp, Belgium; Berlin, Germany; Brussels, Belgium; Copenhagen, Denmark; Detroit, Michigan; Los Angeles, California; London, UK; New York, New York; Paris, France; Reykjavik, Iceland; Rotterdam, the Netherlands; San Francisco, California; and Toronto, Canada.
Christian’s work has been written about in: Frieze, ArtNews, Art Papers, Juxtapoz, New American Paintings, Artsy, Artspace, Daily Serving, Indy Week and the Associated Press. DAZED recently named Christian as one of the “top ten artists working with monochrome.”
Christian lives and works in the Chicagoland area.
This drawing, a detailed vignette influenced by old school animation, features dense layers of graphite that reveal high-contrast graphics and dizzying patterns. The artist's carefully rendered works weave together influences from pop culture and Chicago-style figuration into surreal yet personal narratives.More
- Framed: 16.8 x 19.0 x 1.0 in.
