Ryan Estep

Dissatisfied with his job as a construction worker, Brooklyn-based artist Ryan Estep turned to art to fulfil his desire to unveil truths in the world around him…and never looked back. Estep paints with unlikely mediums like lipstick and drywall mud on linen to create existential works of art.“Describing my work has always been difficult. A work is successful when it stands uncomfortably before language…when it is able to communicate in a manner that I am unable to express otherwise.”

Ryan Estep uses his minimalistic style in a way that intrigues me. It’s compelling. It’s captivating. It causes me to ask questions. I want to know more. I want to know why he only choses to show half of the leaf, why it looks like its travelling through the wall or why only half of it is in colour. It’s this act of questioning that evokes our own interpretations. I believe he is commenting on our urban landscapes. He is showing how we are building were nature once was. We are killing our natural environment. The more I looked into it, the deeper I searched for a meaning. I began to notice that there was no shadows which meant that the leaves could no longer gain light from the sun. Is this due to all the tall buildings within our urban landscape? Which has then caused the leaves to become white due to being prevented from doing the process of photosynthesis.

However, the reason I am fond of this piece is because it shares my love and appreciation for nature. You see, in contrary to what described previously, I believe Ryan Estep is presenting nature in a way were it is fighting back against our concrete jungle in order to regain its land. In that sense, Estep work resonates similar themes to Michael Landys series ‘Nourishment’ were he studied weeds that were growing in the streets of London. He explained that “they are marvellous, optimistic things that you find in inner London… They occupy an urban landscape which is very hostile and they have to be adaptable and find little bits of soil to prosper”. It's about survival and the way nature is having to tenaciously assert themselves despite being overlooked by the majority of passers-by.