25 Jul 2009

Petit Port / PP44 presents Giles Ryder: Berlin Boogie Woogie

Le Petit Port/PP44 is pleased to announce the first European solo project of selected works by Berlin/Sydney based artist Giles Ryder.

'Berlin Boogie Woogie'

Opened on Sunday 28th of June, with Radical Minimal Music by Warnar van Es and continues until August the 16th.

'The car crash is one inevitable end-point of contemporary Western culture. The clash and klang of advertising – the neon pulse of fast food and fast life is the other. These glittering collisions are the landscape of Giles Ryder.' From the essay 'A Cool Armageddon' by Ashley Crawford.

Giles Ryder seamlessly works across media and medium, from high finish lacquer works to light works, mirrors, video and free formed aerated foam works, this is all presented and situated within his spatial installations that react to the minimal rendering of space and to that of the object, presenting minimal works with maximal energy.

At the heart of Giles Ryder's practice lies an exploration of oppositional relationships, combining the experiential nature of painting with the spatial relationships generated by sculpture. Ryder presents his ongoing exploration and combination of Pop, Abstraction and Minimal art.

Surface, light and movement are some of his main concerns; these are reflected in the materiality of his work: aluminium, neon lights, pearlescent paint and mirrored surfaces.

In 2008, Giles Ryder was the recipient of the prestigious Anne & Gordon Samstag International Visual Arts Scholarship which enabled him to study in Berlin at KH-B.

He has exhibited extensively, internationally and nationally including New06 (curated by Juliana Engberg) at ACCA (Australian Centre of Contemporary Art). Recipient of the 2006 RIPE emerging artist award (ANZ and Art in Australia contemporary art award). Finalist 2006 & 2007, in the Helen Lempriere Travelling Art Scholarship, Artspace, Sydney.

Recent solo shows include: Dark Matter at John Buckley Gallery, (2008), The Speed of Night at BlockProjects, (2007) Melbourne, Trans-Painting at Ryan Renshaw Gallery, Brisbane (2008) and Building Pyramids for the lost at Peloton Gallery, Sydney (2008).

Selected group exhibitions include: UND 5, Maison Abandonnee/Villa Camelie Nice (curated by Tilman, Jan van der Ploeg and Billy Gruner), New Order, Redcliffe City Gallery, Australia (curated By Emma Lindsay), Leiden Assemblage No.1, PP44/Le Petit Port, Leiden (curated by Jan Maarten Voskuil and Billy Gruner), Premonitions: Monash University Collection 1961-2007 (Curated by Kirrily Hammond and Penny Teale).