BIO
Ryan Whelan (b. 1991) lives and works in Oakland, CA, dividing his time between his painting studio and fabrication workshop. Originally from Torrance, California, he moved to the Bay Area in 2009, earning his BFA in Printmaking from San Francisco State University. Whelan's work has been showcased nationally and internationally, including a recent exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco.
His artistic approach is elliptical, incessantly revolving around various degrees of truth to preserve his wonder for the world. He strives to capture the essence of the intangible; watch him lasso the moon and move closer to a place of stillness and reflection. He chooses to paint with oblique strategies, allowing spaces to be built where one can feel free to open up to the possibilities of the unknown.
CV
Education
San Francisco State University – Bachelor of Fine Arts, Printmaking - 2015
Solo Exhibitions
2024 - The River Can Run, pt.2 Gallery, Oakland, CA
2022 - Promise Witness, pt.2 Gallery, Oakland, CA
2020 - The sum of my surroundings, pt.2 Gallery, Oakland, CA
2018 - Provisions, pt.2 Gallery, Oakland, CA
2018 - Why am I crawling in this dirt?, Stephanie Chefas Projects, Portland, OR
2017 - SUN BATH, Legion Shop, SF, CA
2016 - a pot is a pot is a pot is a pot, Good Mother, Oakland, CA
Selected Group Exhibitions
2022 - Irrelevant Press & Friends, Aggregate Space, Oakland, CA
2021 – Art of the Heist: Virtual Benefit, Arts of Life, Chicago, IL
2021 – Art Kala 2021!, Kala Art Institute, Oakland, CA
2021 – 20th Annual Root Division Art Auction, Root Division, SF, CA
2021 - Represented Group Show, Part2 Gallery, Oakland, CA
2021 – Californisme: partie 2, Bimbam Gallery, Paris, France
2020 - soothe, Sugarlift, New York, NY
2020 - Friends and Family, Hashimoto Contemporary, SF, CA
2019 - November Group Los Angeles, Part2 Gallery, LA, CA
2019 - Summer Collective, Stephanie Chefas Projects, Portland, CA
2019 - Camp Fire Relief Auction, Minnesota Street Project
2018 - Divisions of Labor, Minnesota Street Project, SF, CA
2018 - Know You, Athen B. Gallery, Oakland, CA
2017 - A Group Thing, Stephanie Chefas Projects, Portland, OR
2016 - Welkom Baek, Adobe Books Backroom Gallery, SF, CA
2016 - New Folk, The Galallery, San Francisco, CA
2015 - A Walk with Friends, Everyday SF, San Francisco, CA
2015 - Hang Tang, Sgraffito, Emeryville, CA
2015 - Having Fun, Farley’s East, Oakland, CA