Ryan McCann “Gold Chains and Champagne”

April 13th – June 1st, 2013

Los Angeles-based artist Ryan McCann uses his encounters with mass-produced imagery to enter a state of regression. A refusal of mechanical methods of reproduction (silkscreening, lithography and photography) leads to an exercise in manual labor, but also an intentional distancing from the ‘purity’ of the initial object.

Often employing satirical text laid across the image, McCann challenges the complacent response to a heavily circulated image by violating its physical continuity (or how it first appeared without noticeable change to its composition). What’s more, the act of burning wood becomes a constructive gesture.

In adding layers of color to his images, McCann makes the experience of viewing the work similar to that of reading a graphic novel: colors convey emotional gradients and text becomes the accompaniment.