kathleen ryan creates moldy fruit sculptures from semi-precious gemstones

new york based artist, kathleen ryan, comments on the culture of excess with her series of ‘rotten’ over-sized fruit sculptures. using polystyrene foam bases and countless beads carved from precious and semi-precious stones, the pieces transmute the image of discarded and rotting fruit into beautifully intricate artwork.  

‘serptenine foam’, 2019

image courtesy of josh lilley gallery

(main images: ‘green-eyed monster’, 2019, courtesy of françois ghebaly)

to make the fruit, ryan begins with a large polystyrene base measuring up to 28 inches in width. from this starting point, the artist then paints on the patterns of colors that indicate which part of the lemon or peach will be rotten. the foam is then pierced with steel pins that hold the array of gemstones. from the lighter hues of the freshwater pearl to the deep forest green serpentine, the beads exquisitely convey the decaying flesh of the fruit. 

‘fool’s mold’, 2018

image courtesy of josh lilley gallery

the use of precious and semi-precious stones forms an intriguing contrast with our typical reaction to unsightly mold. the pieces, which include lemons, oranges and peaches, tread a fine line between the beautiful and the grotesque, an intentional device by ryan to provoke uneasiness, and ultimately, comment on the excessive consumption that exists across the globe. 

‘sour pearls’, 2018

image courtesy of josh lilley gallery

‘semi-precious bone’, 2018

image courtesy of josh lilley gallery

‘bad peach’, 2019

image courtesy of françois ghebaly

‘bad peach’, 2019

image courtesy of françois ghebaly

‘bad peach’, 2019

image courtesy of françois ghebaly

‘green-eyed monster’, 2019

image courtesy of françois ghebaly

‘green-eyed monster’, 2019

image courtesy of françois ghebaly

‘green-eyed monster’, 2019

image courtesy of françois ghebaly

project info:

project name: ‘green-eyed monster’, ‘serptenine foam’, ‘fool’s mold’ and ‘bad peach’

artist: kathleen ryan