About
About
Ryan Ahern is an Australian painter whose launch and debut exhibition was held at the celebrated Orangery Gallery under gallerist, concert pianist and conductor Mark Coughlan. He has quickly become a highly collected artist both in Australia and internationally and has exhibited alongside notable artists such as John Cullinane. Ryan has been represented by numerous galleries such as The Orangery Gallery, Juniper Galleries, and Kamile Gallery. His work is primarily abstract-figurative and is marked by a nostalgic and a subdued realism, reminiscent of 20th century Post-Impressionism, and is characterized by gestural marks and painterly abstractions.Ryan is currently a life drawing instructor and former Artist-in-Residence at the Midland Junction Arts Centre (MJAC) and teaches art at various educational institutions. His work can be found in a variety of private collections and in public exhibitions. Ryan's work has been collected by notable figures, including board members of PICA (Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts) and from institutions such as The Weld Club.
He was born in Perth Australia and for the later part of his life has lived abroad, from far-eastern Siberia, to Borneo, to the Middle East. He often works from his Perth studio in Australia in the summer months and resides in Europe during the winter season.
Artist Statement
Paintings are a potential window into the inherent symbiotic relationships in life; the tension between order and chaos, light and darkness, hope and tragedy, and beauty and ugliness which seem to intertwine as though they are the same melody. If painting succeeds in becoming an authentic realisation of that tension then it has transcended the point where words may suffice. Thus, the more authentic the work, the more difficult it becomes to explain. The nearest I may come to explaining a painting would be to talk of the stories that influence my life and from where the desire and struggle to create originates. One's hope is that art may have something to say where words fail. It is a relentless pursuit of the transcendent.
Exhibitions & Shows
FACETS, Feb 2023, Juniper Galleries, Darlington
RYAN DAVID AHERN (Solo Exhibition), Nov 2022, The Orangery Gallery, Shenton Park
SWOON, Feb 2022, Juniper Galleries, Darlington
MODERN HOLIDAY, Dec 2021, Kamile Gallery, Claremont
LIFELINE 20x20, Group Show, Dec 2021, Juniper Galleries, Darlington
À LA DÉRIVE, Debut Solo Exhibition, Oct 2021, The Orangery Gallery, Shenton Park
DIVINE, May 2021, Juniper Galleries, Darlington
REGENERATION, March 2021, Juniper Galleries, Darlington
MIDSUMMER, Nov 29 2020, Juniper Galleries, Darlington
END-OF-YEAR GROUP SHOW, 1st Dec 2020, The Orangery Gallery, Shenton Park
EMBODY, 3rd Nov 2020, Blush Retail Gallery, Albany
NEW MASTERS, OLD VISIONS, 18 Sep 2020, The Orangery Gallery, Shenton Park
CITY OF ROCKINGHAM ART AWARDS, 20 May 2019, Rockingham Arts Centre
MIDLAND OPEN STUDIOS, 2019, Midland Junction Arts Centre MJAC, City of Swan
Residencies & Abroad
Artist in Residence, Jan - April 2019, MJAC in association with Mundaring Arts Centre and City of SwanPainting Workshop with Martin Campos, Madrid Spain, Sept 2019. The Art Digger Lab
Workshops
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EXPRESSIVE FIGURE DRAWING WITH RYAN AHERN
Midland Junction Arts Centre (MJAC)
June 6, 2019
EXPRESSIVE FIGURE DRAWING WITH RYAN AHERN
Midland Junction Arts Centre (MJAC)
October 8, 2019
DRAWING FORM WITH RYAN AHERN
Midland Junction Arts Centre (MJAC)
November 12, 2019
PERTH COLLEGE - Life Drawing Workshop
School Excursion
7th of Feb 2020
1-DAY LIFE DRAWING WITH RYAN AHERN
Midland Junction Arts Centre (MJAC)
August 23, 2020
FUNDAMENTALS OF LIFE DRAWING WITH RYAN AHERN
Midland Junction Arts Centre (MJAC)
September 1, 2020
PERRY LAKES LIFE DRAWING GROUP
2-DAY Workshop, Floreat
January 2021
EXPRESSIVE SKETCHING WITH RYAN AHERN
Midland Junction Arts Centre (MJAC)
May 8, 2021 - May 15, 2021
EXPRESSIVE PAINTING WITH RYAN AHERN
Midland Junction Arts Centre (MJAC)
June 5, 2021 - June 12, 2021
