Wednesday February 26, 2025
Kathleen Ryan (American, 1984)
Pleasures Known, 2019
Agate, amazonite, amethyst, aragonite, aventurine, black silk stone, bone, calcite, carnelian, chalcedony, Ching Hai jade (dolomite and fuchsite), chrysanthemum stone, citrine, crystal quartz, feldspar, fluorite, freshwater pearls, garnet, hematite, jasper, labradorite, lepidolite, magnesite, malachite, marble, moss agate, onyx, quartz, rhodochrosite, rhodonite, rhyolite, rose quartz, rutilated quartz, serpentine, smoky quartz, tektite, tigereye, tree agate, turquoise, unakite, yellow turquoise, ruby in zoisite, acrylic, glass, steel and stainless steel pins, polystyrene, wood and steel tools, fishing rods, steel trailer, rubber tires, 91” H x 174” L x 79” W
“Kathleen Ryan’s sculptures reimagine the detritus of American consumerism, creating a spectacular vision of beauty and abundance now marred by decay. Originally inspired by holiday kitsch—artificial fruit ornaments frozen in time—Ryan enlarges these trinkets into monumental sculptures, mixing precious materials with salvaged objects. Over weeks, Ryan observes actual decaying fruit in her studio. Mimicking their blooming mold and soft bruises on gem-encrusted sculptures, she builds a universe of rotting excess where materials of luxury now symbolize mortality. Fruit slowly dies while mold grows and thrives.” from ICA San Francisco
I viewed this work at Miami’s Art Basel in 2019. I was one of the thousands of people clamoring to devour the spectacle of decaying fruit. Ryan’s work made an impression, and for the last 5+ years, I think of ‘Pleasures Known’ when I consider how we view, document, recreate, and consume the progress of destruction.
Visit ICA SF through March 16, 2025, for Spotlight: Kathleen Ryan, where she offers viewers the fruits of her labor.
Kathleen Ryan (b. 1984, Santa Monica, CA) studied art and archaeology as an undergraduate at Pitzer College, and received her MFA from the University of California, Los Angeles. Recent institutional solo exhibitions include Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg, Germany; New Art Gallery, Walsall, UK; The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield, Connecticut; MIT List Visual Arts Center, Cambridge, US; and the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria. Her work is held in numerous public collections including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, US; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, US; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, US; Crystal Bridges a Museum of American Art, Bentonville, US; Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas, US; LAM Museum, Lisse, Netherlands;the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, Durham, US; ICA Boston; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Kistefos Museum; Norton Museum of Art; and the Crocker Art Museum She lives and works in New Jersey.