2019 Best of Show:
ryann cooley : collective individual
Tri-County Arts Council Gallery | September 26- October 30, 2020
Closing Reception/Artist Talks Saturday, October 24, 5-8pm
ryann cooley : collective individual
Tri-County Arts Council Gallery | September 26- October 30, 2020
Closing Reception/Artist Talks Saturday, October 24, 5-8pm
In 2019, Ryann Cooley was named Best of Show winner of the Southern Tier Biennial. His work was selected from among 28 other artists by Judy Barie, Susan and John Turban Director of Galleries, Chautauqua Institution, and Evelyn Penman, Assistant Director of Galleries, Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts at St. Bonaventure University.
Statement from Ryann Cooley
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The "Glass Portrait Series" draws attention to the physical and spatial qualities of the work, while simultaneously allowing the viewer to address the subject within the photograph. Merging two mediums that share a long history–photography and glass–fashions an encounter with the photograph realized when experienced in person. The unexpected framing of the image being upside-down allows for a moment of consideration towards the photograph's physicality. Closer examination of the glass sphere reveals the image in the initially anticipated orientation connecting the visual and the physical, referencing the phenomenon of human perception. The sculptural elements of the piece and the photographs carry equal significance leading the viewer through the physiological and psychological process of perception. The portraits involve the merging of several individuals, categorized by ethnicity and nationalities, into a single image, thus removing the identity of the individual. Each portrait then represents both the idea of "community" and "individual. The completed art piece places the portrait composite in the framework of glass, welcoming a dialog about tensions between collectivistic and individualistic cultures, as well as how these mindsets are perceived and reconciled within an individual. |
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RYANN COOLEY
Having been nearly robbed by monkeys on a mountain in the Sichuan province of
China, documented the claimed location of the Ark of the Covenant in Aksum Ethiopia,
photographed the rituals of Semana Santa in Antigua, Guatemala; Ryann Cooley has
many stories to share. He says that his travels as a documentary photographer to over
50 countries have helped shape his ideas. Additionally, his years of advertising and
editorial work in New York City–with clients including American Express, Intel, InStyle,
and Vibe magazine–further refined his skills. In his current practice, Cooley classifies
himself as a conceptual artist and educator working in a blend of mediums challenging
the boundaries of photography. His work–which includes photography, mixed-media,
sculpture, and immersive installations–exists on the fringe of photography, examining
the relationship between a viewer and the image.
Ryann Cooley graduated from Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, CA,
and received his MFA in Photography, Video, and Related Media from the School of Visual Arts, in New York City, NY.
Cooley is a Professor of Photography and Digital Media and the Chair of the Department of Art at Houghton College in Western NY.
Having been nearly robbed by monkeys on a mountain in the Sichuan province of
China, documented the claimed location of the Ark of the Covenant in Aksum Ethiopia,
photographed the rituals of Semana Santa in Antigua, Guatemala; Ryann Cooley has
many stories to share. He says that his travels as a documentary photographer to over
50 countries have helped shape his ideas. Additionally, his years of advertising and
editorial work in New York City–with clients including American Express, Intel, InStyle,
and Vibe magazine–further refined his skills. In his current practice, Cooley classifies
himself as a conceptual artist and educator working in a blend of mediums challenging
the boundaries of photography. His work–which includes photography, mixed-media,
sculpture, and immersive installations–exists on the fringe of photography, examining
the relationship between a viewer and the image.
Ryann Cooley graduated from Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, CA,
and received his MFA in Photography, Video, and Related Media from the School of Visual Arts, in New York City, NY.
Cooley is a Professor of Photography and Digital Media and the Chair of the Department of Art at Houghton College in Western NY.
Comments by Judy Barie, 2019 Juror
As I viewed Ryann Cooley's work, I was struck by their sheer beauty and alluring use of materials. These portraits, covered in glass tubes, are not of one individual person, but of several people who share commonality. His work becomes an interactive piece for the viewer, discovering an upside down image, only to be seduced through the glass by the correct alignment of the portrait. The works are original, well crafted, wall sculptures elevating photography to another level. I think the best is yet to come for Ryann Cooley.
Judy Barie
Susan and John Turbern Director of VACI Galleries
Judy Barie
Susan and John Turbern Director of VACI Galleries
