MARK RYDEN

Mark Ryden’s imaginative artistic play manifests itself through layers of meanings and connotations. The artist’s creation is an ode to craftsmanship and refined materiality, from exquisite pictorial imagery to lavishly decorated frames. At the same time, the artist probes into the invisible and secret order of the universe and interprets the life of things that are filled with spiritual essence. Exploring the symbolic significance of elements that inhabit his metaphorical landscapes, Ryden’s work evokes the feeling of awe of the mysterious, sometimes uncanny world.

Yakalina 9 features sculptures and drawings of the mysterious animal recently created by Ryden. Yakalina has a long conical body covered with fur apart from the face, whose appearance is both lovely and eerie. This type of long-lasting iconography tradition goes back to the Bronze Age’s imagery and refers to a human or a deity’s figure with outstretched arms symbolising worshiping and piety. Adopted by early Christians, the orans posture keeps appearing in classical religious art: from the prayer figures in Roman catacomb frescoes to the depiction of the Virgin Mary as Our Lady of the Sign in the icons and mosaics of Byzantine art.

The simple yet powerful image transcends the boundaries of physical form to represent sublime matter. Ryden rethinks this iconography of worship within his artistic imagery by connecting it to Anima Animals, a recurring subject in Ryden’s artistic practice. As threshold figures, they guide a viewer through the field of the unknown, inducing the spirit of creativity to rediscover one’s connection with nature and the divine. Ryden believes that ‘if you ask for your animal spirit, it will come to you. Close your eyes, look inward, and ask your animal guide to come, then keep your eyes open for a visitation.’

Exhibited alongside Ryden’s sculptures, are his drawings of Yakalina, which have visual similarities with the old alchemy manuscripts. Intellectual play with symbols, alchemy emblems, structures, and numbers in the works denotes a hidden order inaccessible to the uninitiated. As a hermetic text, the artist’s oeuvre is obscure. The very moment of contemplation of artistic endeavour, that does not necessarily have to be fully decoded, awakens the feeling of utter wonder when one encounters the intangible reality manifested in physical form.

Throughout humanity’s history, the philosophical discourse on the dichotomy between physical and spiritual, tangible and ethereal, visible and invisible, has constantly been re-emerging. Yet, preoccupied with the extensive materiality of today’s mass culture, our generation primarily believes in scientific and technological achievements. The essential question remains on a personal level: how can we perceive something that belongs to the field of the unknown and intangible? Perception of the unknown may require another way of seeing, not rational but rather imaginative. Thus, reminded of spiritual presence in the contemporary context, let Yakalina keep her secrets.

If your eyes are open, you can see the face of the divine wherever you look.–Mark Ryden