Ryan Schneider: The Chorus

Exhibitions

Ryan Schneider: The Chorus
April 10 - May 8, 2021

Artwork Images

Louis Buhl & Co. is pleased to present The Chorus, a solo exhibition of new works by Joshua Tree-based artist Ryan Schneider. An oil painter from a young age, Schneider has over time shifted his artistic focus to creating sculptures primarily out of wood using chainsaws, chisels, paint and other tools to create distinct works that are inherently crude and reminiscent of Southern California’s Mojave desert. Displaying vibrant works definitive of the artist’s relatively newfound practice, The Chorus will showcase Schneider’s unique variant Sculpture series Chorus, as well as one-of-a-kind sculptures complemented by his first series of hand-painted unique monoprints.

Schneider spent 14 years living and working in New York City before relocating to Joshua Tree, California in 2015. What began as a three-month stay with his wife in the desert land soon turned into a permanent residency, the change of pace, perspective, and attitude positively transforming Schneider’s practice in undeniable ways. Deeply inspired by the various natural elements and lifeforms that he intimately encounters daily at his open-air studio, Schneider relies on simplicity in his work and employs the foundational tools of his painting practice in his approach to sculptural forms. 

Included in the exhibition is a series of fifteen unique variant wooden head sculptures painted over in oil pigment titled Chorus. The works in Chorus are simplified versions of motifs Schneider deals with in his greater sculptural practice. Each head is made using the same series of cuts with a chainsaw, but each one inherently forms to be different from the next. The result is a group of sculptures that appear to be singing in unison. Says Schneider: “[This series] was inspired by the idea of the Chorus present in ancient Greek tragedies and comedies, a group on the sidelines, usually in masks, who comment with a collective singing voice on the dramatic action. It also relates to the ‘chorus in my head’ involved in everyday decision making, decisions in the studio and around my practice.” 

In addition to the sculptural series, Schneider has created four hand-painted unique monoprints made from chainsaw cut woodblocks titled Hungry Ghosts. With Hungry Ghosts, we watch Schneider continue his experimentation with sculpture as he uses his chainsaw to carve organic patterns into cedar blocks of wood, introducing to his practice a new way of applying paint to a two-dimensional surface. Loosely inspired by Japanese woodblock prints and the “Hannya Mask'' of the Japanese theater, these works on paper touch on the Buddhist concept of the “Hungry Ghost,” a soul that can never be satisfied with what they have. This idea of constant consumption yet never feeling full is a theme present in Schneider’s own life and the lives of many others. Building off this concept, the two original sculptures that complete the exhibition are a deeper exploration of the face and mask motifs from which the sculptural series stems. With multiple mouths carved into each sculpture and eyes that bulge out of the wood’s surface, “there’s an ancient element to [them], like something you might encounter chiseled into a rock face.” 

Mentally and physically reconnecting with the natural world, Schneider has found success in his personal and creative conquests by freeing himself of society’s pressures to be excellent and letting the universe run its course. In his work, the artist has come to master a perfect balance between manipulating the material and letting it shape its own destiny. Says Schneider: “I do not intend anything too specific as I work, but rather allow the particular piece of wood to dictate to me what it wants to be. I am more of a steward, bringing out its true form.” Brightly colored and fascinatingly raw, Schneider’s work, above all, presents its viewer with a joyfully visceral experience. 

Ryan Schneider: The Chorus will be on display from April 10 through May 8, 2021.

Sculptures

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