Ryan Wilks

Liquidate

2020

Artist : Ryan Wilks Title : Aesthetic of the Cross Materials : epoxy resin, chrome mirror paint, glass shards on wood board Date : 9-01-2020 Dimensions : 16" x 20" Description : Reimagining traditional depictions of the iconic cross, giving modern aesthetic to an ancient symbol. Epoxy casted, coated in chrome mirror paint and glass shards, light catches this piece from every direction, changing mood throughs the day as light within a space transitions from day to night. Ryan Wilks is a self-taught artist based in Kansas City, Missouri. Their work explores the various realities of queer existence. Primarily creating with oils, watercolors, sculptural assemblage, and ritual, their work sheds light on queer expression of spirituality and sexuality. Their bodies of work address and confront religion used as weapon and explores new modes of prayer through visual and participatory exhibitions. While religious and archetypal iconography such as the Devil and Lilith are seen within their figures in their paintings and used to express gender and queer ideologies, the work itself does not adopt the feeling of weighted religious rites. Instead, the work invites the viewer to participate in a modernized expression of spirit. Through figurative and narrative drawing and painting, through community-based performance ritual and ceremony, Wilks makes art that explores the various realities of queer existence. Gleaning inspiration from centuries old religious iconography and the oral and written histories documenting the queer experience from the beginning of time to their own personal experience today, Wilks' work strives to depict the push/pull, persecute/elevate relationships of humanity, sexuality, and spirituality. The use of more traditional materials and methods in Wilks' painting and drawing is an intentional nod to Italian masters such as Caravaggio, Titian, and Raphael, but it is the playfulness of Matisse’s figures and the contorting figures of Schiele that have influenced their work the most. Ritual and ceremonial performance is an integral aspect of Wilks'art. The use of objects, both found and made, and base elemental ingredients in occult practices are key components to their performances. Through movement, through ceremony, through studied and adaptive ritual, Wilks is able to engage an audience and create moments of sacred memory. Wilks' performance work is created and displayed in tandem with their 2-D work and further explores concepts displayed within their paintings and drawings. Through these methods of creating, engagement, and display of their art, Wilks strives to express the personal narrative of their queer experience, of their peers’, of those who have passed, and, ultimately, for future generations to research, decode, confront, and enjoy. Wilks has exhibited their work in at least 20 different solo exhibitions across the Kansas City Metropolitan area as well as being featured in 18 different publications regarding their work. Wilks' most recent artist residencies include the Artist in Residence program at the Crossroads Hotel, located in the heart of Kansas City's well known Crossroads Arts District, January-February 2020; and the Artist in Residence program at Arts KC, Jun-July 2020. In 2019, Wilks was nominated for "Best Exhibition" in the Pitch KC's annual "Best of KC" year-end round up for their exhibition "Hell", originally shown at Leedy-Voulkos Art Center. painting, watercolor, mixed media, human figure, religion, iconography, cultural commentary, queer art...

Katrina Revenaugh Piccolo Giardino Numero 12 Archival Pigment Ink, Acrylic, Spray Paint and Gold Leaf on Birch Panel Year: 2024 Size: 12 x 12 x 1.75 inches (round) Signed: On Verso C...

Mixed-Media / Stickers / Illustration / Pop and Contemporary Pop / Human Figure / Chess / Comic Books / Video Games / Resin / Drawing / Representations of Everyday Objects / Figurative Art / Pop Art From Macauley Norman's solo exhibition, CRYPTIC CLUTTER, "Sticker Painting" is an incredible and unique resin coated pop surrealist painting featuring well over 70 gel pen drawings on sticker paper affixed to a wood panel painted in oil and acrylic paint. Among the illustration images are a panoply of pop culture references from the Eastern, Western, Northern and Southern hemispheres -- birds and other animals, landscapes, UFOs, food items, nineties-era pornography, vehicles, yin yang symbols, skulls, daggers, a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle...

This piece depicts famous British model Kate Moss from a Fall 2013 ad campaign with Stuart Weitzman during the Milan Fashion Week while featuring Kate Moss swaggering to Nancy Sinatr...