Ryan Lee (b. 2001, Sacramento, CA), is currently a second year MFA at NYU Steinhardt. He graduated with distinction from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) in 2023, where he completed his BFA with an emphasis in painting and drawing.
He primarily paints with high fluid acrylics, often using an airbrush tool to create semi realistic, dream-like scenes that blurs the line between the fictitious and familiar. The paintings are composed from photographs or videos captured from either him or his friends. Ryan’s work focuses on confined and overlooked spaces, reflecting on hidden, abject, or neglected moments that may go unnoticed. He’s drawn to finding connections in the mundane and neglected, reinterpreting real events through painting, as if each piece is part of a larger, incomplete story. Is this the beginning, the end, or somewhere in between?
Recently, I made a whiteboard painting and some zippers. I’m interested in the whiteboard, where marks are made and erased, leaving behind a ghostly trace of what once was. I’m still thinking about this piece and how it can act as fleeting moments and hidden narratives. I think it also explores impermanence and what is left when something is removed or obscured. The zippers can also tease a hidden narrative or alternative reality considering what’s beneath the surface.
- Ryan Lee
Alright Ryan, so your work focuses on confined and overlooked spaces, reflecting on hidden, abject, or neglected moments that may go unnoticed. Can you tell me more about that, and why it’s important for you to document?
I’m interested in these moments that are overlooked because I resonate with human emotions and experiences that are remained unspoken or guarded. These spaces, whether it’s an elevator, basement, or public restroom, carries a narrative, marks a time, and traces past interactions. They’re instilled with tension, isolation, and sometimes humor, reflecting the messy, awkward, or abject aspects of existence that we often ignore.
Documenting these spaces and moments forces me and the viewer to confront what’s often dismissed as unimportant or unpleasant. In the mundane and neglected spaces, there’s an opportunity for narrative. Moments when something is about to happen, has already happened, or is happening.
You’re drawn to finding connections in the mundane and neglected, reinterpreting real events through painting, as if each piece is part of a larger, incomplete story. Is this the beginning, the end, or somewhere in between? Can you elaborate on this as well?
The mundane and neglected hold a lot of ambiguity, which is what I enjoy. They hold potential for multiple interpretations, depending on where you place them in the narrative. You’re always in an incomplete story, and you’re not supposed to have all the answers. The Bentley poorly parked on the handicap sign revolves around privilege, disregard, or carelessness, raising questions about entitlement and acknowledgement for certain rules.
I’m interested in the disregard some individuals have for a space that is meant for the vulnerable. While this can appear as a minor, everyday act of carelessness, it reflects on a larger narrative about cultural priorities, accessibility, and acknowledgment. It’s about drawing attention to what gets overlooked, not just in a literal sense but in terms of values we prioritize or neglect.
Every painting is pretty loaded and I feel like there’s a lot that I explore in each one. I’m very much just interested in the narrative of each one. I never have a set narrative or idea before painting these spaces, the idea presents itself when they’re done. The bodily fluids such as piss and shit just came naturally. And then I realized I had 5 paintings about piss and shit, so I worked with that.
Things Ryan would recommend:
- Movies: “I just rewatched Scarface.”
- Music: “These are a few songs I really like right now: – Diamonds & Pearls – Chopped & Screwed By Lil Keke, Papa Reu. – Cockblocker Blues By Hype Williams. Miami By Rx Papi.”
- TV Shows: “I’ve been listening to a lot of Joey Diaz standup while I paint”.
- Books: “A friend let me borrow his book – Abstract Expressionism: Creators and Critics which is mostly interviews with the artists from that movement”.
- Magazines: “A magazine to check out is Lilypad Issue 5 – specifically “has airbrush gone too far?” an opinion by Hank Reavis”.
- Food: “I recently had Ethiopian food from a spot I really enjoy”.
- Games: “Pool and poker is a go to”.
