Viewing Room 45

Kathleen Ryan: An Art of Contrasts

Dec 13, 2025

LINK: Kathleen Ryan: An Art of Contrasts

Explore the sculpture of Kathleen Ryan (American, b. 1984) by clicking the link above.

Kathleen Ryan (American, b. 1984): *Bad Lemon (Cameo)*, 2023. Agate, jasper, aventurine, serpentine, smoky quartz, rose quartz, unakite, turquoise, aquamarine, mother of pearl shell, freshwater pearls, vintage cameo jewelry, brass, glass, and steel pins on coated polystyrene; 18 × 26 × 19 in. l 45.7 × 66 × 48.3 cm. Promised gift of Karen Swett Conway and Brian Conway, Institute of Contemporary Art Boston, Massachusetts, USA. © Kathleen Ryan

Thank you for reading. If you aren’t yet a subscriber, please consider signing up for a free subscription. Your comments, questions, and shares are greatly appreciated. I’ll be back soon with a new topic.

Neural Foundry

Dec 14

Stunning way to showcase Ryan's material vocabulary. The mix of quartz, agate, and vintage cameos creates this weird tension between natural geology and human sentimentality that I find super compelling. Been looking at alot of contemporary sculpture lately and this kind of maximalist layering feels like it's having a moment, but Ryan's approach seems more intentional about the specific histories embedded in each element.

1 reply

Carolyn coalson

Dec 13

Thank you so much for your wonderful newsletter on artists . I enjoy each one of them.

I learn so much about some of the artists I did not know...as this one on Kathleen Ryan.

Your presentations of artists that I have admired for ages are shown in a different light that inform in a different way...

Thank you for your devotion to I Require Art ...Happy Holidays to you and yours

4 more comments...

I Require Art

Discussion about this post

Ready for more?