Ryan Arenson

Ryan Arenson approaches artmaking through a meticulous and labour-intensive process wherein line, pattern, and drawing are essential elements of his practice. His work is not only visually engaging but also demonstrates conceptual and figurative depth, thoughtfully reflecting the diverse influences that inform his oeuvre. For instance, Arenson’s oil paintings frequently evoke the visual qualities of J. H. Pierneef’s wood block prints, while simultaneously acknowledging the complexities inherent in referencing an eminent artist from the Apartheid era. His body of work draws upon a wide range of historical sources, each contributing to both the content and the techniques he employs.

Ryan Arenson began studying Fine Art at the Johannesburg Art Foundation in 1989 and went on to complete his BAFA at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. Between 1996 and 1998 he participated in group exhibitions and had his first solo exhibition in 1998. In 1999, he was awarded first prize in the Absa L’Atelier Award. Since then, Arenson has been working as a full-time artist. His work is included in private and public collections both locally and abroad, some of which include the Johannesburg Art Gallery, Durban Art Gallery, Billiton, and Appletiser. In 2010, Arenson created a series of e-books surrounding a character called Baby Yellow. He created an edition of paper artist books using digital images, drawn in the iPad app called ‘Brushes’ also famously used by David Hockney. Arenson produces art in a labour-intensive manner. Line, pattern, and drawing play an integral part in Arenson’s creative process. The results are aesthetically engaging, but are also figuratively and conceptually nuanced, drawing astutely on the influences that have shaped his thoughts and work. His oil paintings, for example, take on the visual aesthetics of a J. H. Pierneef wood block. At the same time, he is fully aware of the implications of referencing a great artist of the Apartheid era. His works reference numerous historical sources which often contribute to his content and techniques. In April 2010, Arenson exhibited at David Krut Workshop Gallery, where a selection of silkscreen, ink, graphite and paper works, spanning the last 15 years of his career, were presented. A series called Resurrection, can be viewed from right to left or left to right, which means that the viewer can either decapitate a girl or put her back together again. The surprise of this invests this work and, and by extension, all of the images in the exhibition, with delightful self-reflexivity so that the art-historical seriousness of the founding impulse of the work is turned on its head (so to speak). In April 2022, David Krut Projects presented a solo exhibition by Arenson titled Baby Yellow. Included in this show were unique works and linocut works produced in collaboration with the DKW and printer Sbongiseni Khulu.