Ryan Gander

Ryan Gander was born in Chester, England, in 1976 and lives and works in Suffolk and London. An internationally recognised contemporary artist, his practice challenges traditional classifications by combining conceptualism, storytelling and "amateur philosophy." After studying Interactive Arts at Manchester Metropolitan University from 1996 to 1999, he continued his education at the Jan van Eyck Academie in Maastricht and the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten in Amsterdam. These experiences consolidated his interest in associative processes and in rethinking how artworks are presented and perceived. Gander emerged on the international art scene in the early 2000s and received the Baloise Art Prize at Art Basel in 2005. Major milestones in his career include his participation in the 2011 Venice Biennale and dOCUMENTA (13) in 2012. Rather than following a single style, his practice encompasses sculpture, video, installation, writing and typeface design, frequently examining how language and knowledge are constructed. His works often function as puzzles or fragments of larger narratives, inviting viewers to complete their meaning through imagination and the free association of cultural references. Throughout his career, Gander has explored themes such as absence, invisibility and the significance of the everyday, transforming familiar objects and ordinary situations into complex conceptual devices. From marble sculptures that evoke sheets draped over children’s improvised dens, as in I Is…(I) (2012), to animatronic installations that challenge perception, his practice is characterised by subtle humour and intellectual curiosity. Gander uses a wheelchair as a result of a congenital brittle-bone condition but has repeatedly resisted being defined by disability or described as a "disabled artist," preferring his work to be considered independently of his physical condition. Gander has exhibited internationally, with solo exhibitions at institutions including the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, Kunsthalle Bern, Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery and the Aspen Art Museum. He has also maintained a longstanding relationship with Lisson Gallery. His work is represented in major public collections, including Tate in London, the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. His contributions to contemporary art have been recognised through numerous honours, including his appointment as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2017 and his election as a Royal Academician in the category of Sculpture in 2022. Alongside his artistic practice, Gander works as an educator and curator and is a Visiting Professor of Fine Art at the University of Suffolk. His research continues to expand the boundaries of creative practice, suggesting that art need not communicate a single message but can instead act as a catalyst for ambiguity and new possibilities of thought.