has been drawn to creating art for as long as he says he can remember. A self-proclaimed serial doodler in school, he excelled in art while struggling with other subjects. Four books from his childhood bookshelf—an embossed Bible, Edgar Allan Poe’s Complete Works, Peter Jones’ Solar Wind, and a political conspiracy magazine—were formative influences on his creative development.

Raised as the only atheist in a Catholic primary school, he was deeply affected by religious iconography and mysticism, themes that permeate his work. After completing a Bachelor of Creative Industries in Visual Art at QUT in 2007, Ryan has continued to practice and exhibit across Australia, balancing life between Brisbane and Melbourne.

His art emphasises immediacy, celebrating the raw qualities of mediums like paint, pen, and pencil. Inspired by early 20th-century German Expressionism, his work often incorporates biblical narratives, homoerotic undertones, dense flora, and vivid colour palettes, blending personal experiences with cultural and mythological references. Across his career, Ryan’s focus has shifted from overt eroticism to exploring themes of tenderness, memory, and transformation, reflecting a lifelong interest in reinvention and the passage of time.

Meanjin / Brisbane