Ruaidhri Ryan
ruaidhri.ryan@gmail.com

Ruaidhri Ryan is a London-based artist working with film, mosaic, azulejo, fresco and tapestry. Ruaidhri’s practice responds to advertising tropes, cinematic history and visual culture, focusing on the dissonance between expectation and reality. His playful approach to materials encourages moments of pause and humour around the contemporary experience. His most recent short documentary film, ‘PREVIS’ World Premiered at BAFTA-qualifying film festival, Visions du Réel (2024).

Ruaidhri graduated with an MFA from the Slade School of Fine Art in 2014, recently exhibited at PLOP Residency Space, London, Tuesday>Friday Valencia, Focal Point Gallery, UK and the British School in Rome where he was resident as Augusta Scholar. His work has also featured at Spike Island, Chisenhale, Arebyte and internationally renowned film festivals. In 2024 he was invited to marte Ravenna, as artist-in-residence for one month, where he offered training to and collaborated with students from The Fine Arts Academy of Ravenna to produce new mosaic works.

Ruaidhri produced and directed ‘Fog World (2019), an Arts Council England funded experimental documentary essay film, which premiered at Visions du Réel (2019), British Shorts Berlin (2020) and Blow-Up Chicago (2020). He wrote and directed a short narrative film, ‘Modern Props’ (2017), supported by Film London. Ryan’s MFA graduate film, ‘Belt Craft Studios’ (2014) screened at leading London art gallery Chisenhale, followed by a solo exhibition at international art centre Spike Island.

Ruaidhri has directed and produced documentary films for BBC, Vice and Kyra TV. He received special thanks in Sophie Littman’s ‘Sudden Light’, which premiered in the official competition Festival de Cannes 2020. He has also collaborated with Larissa Sansour and Søren Lind as First Assistant Director on 'In Vitro', which screened at the 63rd BFI London Film Festival and 'Familiar Phantoms' which premiered at CPH DOX 2024.

Ruaidhri has lectured at Bath Spa University, The British School at Rome and London School of Mosaic.

Education:
Locarno Documentary Summer School (2024)
MFA Fine Art Media, Slade School of Fine Art, University College London (2014)
BA Hons Fine Art Media, Bath Spa University (2010)
BTEC Foundation in Art & Design, University College of Creative Arts, Canterbury (2007)

Awards, Funding, Residencies:
2024 - marte Particelle (Particles) Artist Mosaic Residency
2021 - British School at Rome Augusta Scholarship
2021 - Arts Council England, Developing Your Creative Practice
2018 - Arts Council England, project funding Accelerating towards a red light
2016 - Film London, BFI London Calling Commission Modern Props
2015 - Exeter Contemporary Open, Moving Image Award
2015 - Plymouth Contemporary Open, Special Recognition Award
2014 - Oriel Davies Open, Student Prize
2012 - Arts & Humanities Research Council Award, towards MFA
2012 - Arts Council England, project funding Fiberglass Castles

Solo:
2024 - Better than nothing, Marte, Ravenna, Italy
2018 - Accelerating towards a red light, CBS Gallery, Liverpool
2016 - Belt Craft Studios, Spike Island, Bristol

Selected Group:
2023 - Hall of Mirrors, PLOP Residency Space, London
2023 - Baggage Claim, Staffordshire St, London
2022 - The Sound of a Falling Tree, Tuesday > Friday, Valencia, Spain
2022 - Wolves in Sheep's Clothing, Tuesday > Friday, Valencia, Spain
2022 - Big Screen Southend, Focal Point Gallery, Southend-on-Sea
2021 - Mostra, British School at Rome, Italy
2020 - Ty Pawb Open An Exhibition Celebrating Lockdown Creativity, Ty Pawb, Wrexham
2020 - Going Away TV, Arebyte, London
2018 - EBC20, East Bristol Contemporary, Bristol
2018 - Experimental Films, Hebbel Am Ufer, Berlin
2016 - Tableaux, Assembly Point, London
2016 - Rosina #0, Limone, London
2015 - Testing Tropes, Kestle Barton, Cornwall
2012 - Super 8, Kunstlerhaus, Berlin, Germany. Yerba Buena Centre for the Arts, San Fransisco, USA. Museum of Modern Art, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Touring) 

Selected Screenings:
2025 - PREVIS, British Shorts 18, Lichtspielklub, Berlin
2024 - PREVIS, Visions du Reel, Nyon, Switzerland
2023 - In Free Fall, 16th British Shorts Short Film Festival, Berlin, Germany
2019 - Fog World, Dialogues of Culture, State Hermitage Museum, Russia
2019 - Fog World, La Pelliculle Ensorcelee, France
2019 - Fog World, Visions du Reel, Nyon, Switzerland
2019 - ModernProps, DUMBO Film Festival, NY, USA
2018 - Modern Props, Rencontres Internationales, HKW Berlin
2018 - Modern Props, Athens International Film + Video Festival, Ohio
2018 - Modern Props, Rencontres Internationales, Paris
2018 - Modern Props, British Shorts 11, Lichtspielklub, Berlin
2017 - Modern Props, The Royal Standard, Liverpool
2016 - Tableaux, Assembly Point, London
2016 - British Shorts 9, Lichtspielklub, Berlin
2014 - 21st Century, Chisenhale, London
2013 - AND Festival, Cornerhouse, Manchester
2012 - Super 8, Flatpack Film Festival, Birmingham