Robert Ryan

ROBERT RYAN

Born 1963

Robert Ryan grew up in the seaside suburb of Semaphore Park in Adelaide; a stone’s throw from the ocean. This early experience informs Ryan’s practice and he continues to draw inspiration from the coastal environment.
Having completed one year of life drawing, and working in the screen printing industry, he relocated to the Gold Coast at the end of 1982 where he found work illustrating in the clothing industry.
In 1990 he returned to South Australia to commence formal study in the Visual Arts, majoring in printmaking. He chose to live at Aldinga Beach. In 1993 Ryan relocated to Bangalow, Northern NSW where he set up the Bangalow Print Workshop and resided in the beachside suburb of Suffolk Park.
In 1994 his mother and sister opened Barebones Art Space in Bangalow. Though based in the Byron area, Ryan has lived and worked in such diverse locations as Dublin, Milan, South Africa, Sumatra, the Maldives and Canary Islands.
His relocation in 2018 to the coastal village of Scamander on the N.E. coast of Tasmania provides Ryan the opportunity to further explore his visual language; and more importantly provides the setting for his chosen lifestyle which combines the making of Art and the simple routine of daily life.

EDUCATION

1982 1 Unit Life Drawing – Underdale College of Advanced Education
1990 – 93 Diploma in Visual Art, North Adelaide School of Art
1999 Private study with Juliana Consilvio, Milan, Italy – Printmaking

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2022 52 Weeks, Anthea Polson Art, Qld (December)
2021 I Found An Old Box Of Paints Anthea Polson Art, Qld
2020 Tadpoles And Frogs Anthea Polson Art, Gold Coast, QLD
2018 Moving Backwards Anthea Polson Art, Gold Coast, QLD
2014 Place of Dreams Anthea Polson Art, Gold Coast, QLD
2013 Back to Byron Anthea Polson Art, Gold Coast, QLD
2012 The Delicate Nature of Balance Anthea Polson Art, Gold Coast, QLD
2011 Recent Work Arthouse Gallery, Sydney
2010 Chatter Tweed River Regional Art Gallery, Murwillumbah, NSW
2009 Major Works Arthouse Gallery, Sydney
2008 Major Works Arthouse Gallery, Sydney
2007 The Coast Road Arthouse, Sydney
2007 Mud Maps Schubert Contemporary, Gold Coast, QLD
2006 The Evening News Mossgreen Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
2006 Recent Work Arthouse Gallery, Sydney
2006 Schubert Contemporary, Gold Coast QLD
2005 Suffolk Park Arthouse Gallery, Sydney
2005 Recent Work Dickerson Gallery, Melbourne,VIC, in conjunction with Noel Hart
2004 Recent Works Arthouse Gallery, Sydney
2004 Moving Forward Art Gallery Schubert, Gold Coast, QLD
2003 Owen Ryan Arthouse Gallery, Sydney
2003 In Memory of Owen Ryan European Parliament, Brussels
2003 Owen Ryan Apollo Gallery, Dublin, Ireland
2002 Old and New Work Barebones Art Space, Bangalow, NSW
2001 Boy and Bird Arthouse Gallery, Sydney
2001 Art Gallery Schubert, Gold Coast, QLD
2000 Monotypes from Milan Arthouse Gallery, Sydney
2000 Art Gallery Schubert, Gold Coast, QLD
2000 Barebones Art Space, Bangalow, NSW
1999 The Duke Gallery, Dublin, Ireland
1999 Arthouse Gallery, Sydney
1999 New Work Art Gallery Schubert, Gold Coast, QLD
1998 Work from Italy Arthouse Gallery, Sydney
1998 New Work Art Gallery Schubert, Gold Coast, QLD
1997 Bailey’s Irish Cream, Arthouse Gallery, Sydney
1997 Work from Ireland Arthouse Gallery, Sydney
1997 New Work Art Gallery Schubert, Gold Coast, QLD
1997 New Apollo Gallery, Dublin, Ireland
1996 Art Gallery Schubert, Gold Coast
1996 Being Human Arthouse Gallery, Sydney
1995 Byronian Café, Byron Bay – Orient Hotel, Byron Bay
1994 Byronian Café, Byron Bay
1993 Byronian Café, Byron Bay
1993 Graduate Exhibition, North Adelaide School of Art
1992 Lord Melbourne Hotel, North Adelaide, South Australia
1991 Old Noarlunga Art Gallery, South Australia
1990 Old Noarlunga Art Gallery, South Australia

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2018 Little Treasures, Anthea Polson Art, QLD
2017 Small Gifts, Anthea Polson Art, QLD
2016 Artist’s Choice, Anthea Polson Art, QLD
2016 Anthea Polson Art Pops up in Melbourne, Menzies Art Rooms, VIC
2015 Red Sea Gallery, Brisbane, QLD
2014 Miniatures, Anthea Polson Art
2013 The Colour Red, Anthea Polson Art
2012 The Artist Revealed, Anthea polson Art
2011 Eight Days Before Christmas, Anthea Polson Art
2010 Anthea Polson Gallery Group Christmas Show
2009 Gallery One, Gold Coast
2008 Brisbane Art Fair, Schubert Contemporary
2008 Sydney Art Fair, Arthouse Gallery
2008 Sydney Art Fair, Arthouse Gallery
2003 Top 100 – Irish Special Olympics, Ireland
2003 Cows on Parad, Ireland
2003 London Art Fair, Apollo Art Gallery
2002 Australia – City Land and Sea – The University and Schools Club, Sydney
2000 Melbourne Art Fair, Arthouse Gallery
1999 Tweed River Regional Art Gallery, NSW
1997 St. Hilda’s, Gold Coast, QLD
1996 Tweed River Regional Art Gallery, NSW
1996 TSS, St Alban’s , Southport, QLD
1995 Bruce Wattling Gallery, Southport, QLD
1995 Byron Print Prize, Barebones Art Space, Bangalow, NSW
1995 Tweed River Regional Art Gallery, NSW
1994 Maude Space, Glebe, Sydney
1994 Easter Art Classic, Epicentre, Byron Bay
1994 Southern Cross Art Prize, Ballina NSW
1994 Tweed River Regional Art Gallery, NSW
1993 Tweed River Regional Art Gallery, NSW
1992 Lord Melbourne Hotel, North Adelaide, South Australia
1991 Old Noarlunga Art Gallery, South Australia
1990 Old Noarlunga Art Gallery, South Australia

AWARDS

2019 Winner Bay of Fires Art Prize, Tasmania
2016 Finalist Wynn Landscape Prize, Art Gallery of NSW
2015 Finalist Wynn Landscape Prize, Art Gallery of NSW
2015 Finalist Sulman Art Prize, Art Gallery of NSW
1999 Tweed River Regional Art Gallery, Acquisitive Art Prize
1997 Bailey’s Art Box Prize
1996 National Acquisitive Award, McArthur Print Prize
1996 Byron Shire Printmaking and Drawing Prize, second place, Barebones Art Space, Bangalow
1995 Tweed River Art Gallery Acquisitive Art Prize
1994 Southern Cross Art Prize, People’s Choice Landscape, Ballina, NSW
1993 Tweed River Regional Gallery Acquisitive Art Prize
1984 National Gold T-shirt Award – Surf Design of the Year, Cairns QLD

COMMISSIONS AND COLLECTIONS

1982 Viva la Wombat, Adelaide, South Australia
1984 Summer Rage, Gold Coast, QLD
1985 Wave Length, Gold Coast, QLD
1986 Wayan Suwidra – Nusa Lenbongen, Indonesia
1989 Southern Cross Magazine, London , U.K.
1989 Asia Surf and Travel, Sumatra, Indonesia
1991 Dobbo’s Fruit and Veg. Aldinga Beach, S.A.
1992 Lord Melbourne Hotel, Adelaide, S.A.
1994 Byronian Café, Byron Bay, NSW
1994 Bangalow Country Music Festival, Bangalow NSW
1994 Byron Bay Blues Festival, Byron Bay, NSW
1994 Zentfeld Coffee, Newrybar, NSW
1995 Bangalow Country Music Festival, Bangalow NSW
1995 Byronian Café, Byron Bay, NSW
1995 Noosa Jazz Festival, Noosa QLD
1996 Byron Duck, Byron Bay, NSW
1997 Bailey’s Irish Cream Collection, Sydney, NSW
1998 Microsoft Collection, United Kingdom
1999 Carrington Capital, Australia
2001 Paul Norton Commission, Ireland
2003 Hugh Charlton, Irleand
2003 Nial Andrews, Ireland
2008 James Packer Commission, Australia
2016 Villawood Commission, Melbourne, Victoria
2019 Break Of Day Council Collection, Tasmania
2020 Alan Jones AO Collection
Gold Coast City Art Gallery
Tweed River Regional Art Gallery
University of Western Sydney
T Tree Gully TAFE, S A
Regency Park TAFE, SA
Hugh Charlton Collection, Dublin, Ireland
North Adelaide school od Art, SA
Slip In Restaurant, Sydney
St Hilda’s, Gold Coast Qld
Roger May Collection
Ellis Collection, London
Niall Collection, Melbourne
Broug Collection, Munich and Leipzig
James Packer Collection, Sydney