Ryan Mathieson
Ryan Mathieson is a visual artist currently living and working in Vancouver, Canada. Mathieson primarily works with photography to address themes of intimacy and time; he plays with a notion of visibility, suggesting that elements existing just below the surface are as vital to elements closest to plain sight. In Mathieson’s photographs he stages sculpture, painting, and ceramics, producing images that stall a viewers ‘gaze. His presentations of remote landforms are suggestive of desire and the inner landscape. His photos open up to reveal events placed inside of events: windows to rare places. Mathieson expands a conversation of what makes an image remarkable in today’s climate by altering pictures to also function as objects. He embraces the subtle imperfections from expired camera film to bring about a texture of something unknown. His images pose as supernatural sites as well as visual subjects. He exposes film to lightning storms prior to use and utilizes photography as a tool to address the translation of our dreams and voices. Mathieson holds a Masters of Fine Arts of Interdisciplinary Studies from Simon Fraser School for the Contemporary Arts as well as a Bachelor of Design from the Alberta of College of Art + Design. He has participated in artist residencies in Helsinki Finland as well as the Banff Center for the Arts. He has exhibited extensively across Canada in Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto at spaces including Audain Gallery, Access Gallery, Capture Photography Festival, and Western Front.
