“There were never any other options for me,” says Ryan, also known as “Bockhaus,” of his decision to make art and live the life of an artist. Working in whatever medium is appropriate to the subject matter and work at hand, his range of mediums (which spans painting, drawing, puppetry, animation and experimental film methods) is fluid and changes from project to project. “I love painting,” says Ryan, who considers it a therapeutic practice. His work is about society’s contemporary issues in relationship to history, and frequently traverses the territory of psychology, death, fear and predictions of the future. A snippet from his artist statement explains “At the root of Bock’s practice is a need for narrative structure. Resting somewhere between mythology and nightmare, Bock depicts mise en scène riddled with symbology and allusions both cinematic and painterly in nature.” Aiming to encourage his audience to question “routine human experience” and its illusions, the current American political climate is often on his mind as he creates work. When he’s not doing a site-specific piece or collaboration, he works from his studio in Brooklyn. “Life is too fast and short to accomplish everything I’d like to,” says Ryan. Having recently closed out his last solo exhibition of the year “The Golem: Objects of Security” at Deep Space gallery in Jersey City, he’s preparing for Miami Basel. Stay tuned for more from the Ryan Bock studio.
Follow the artist on instagram @bockhaus