Ryan Foerster embraces chance and the transformative effects of time, weather, and other organic processes in abstract photographs that range from ethereal to tempestuous. In works like Hurricane/ Julie Shower (2006-2012), Foerster places photosensitive paper outdoors, leaving the reactive tabula rasas to interact with sun, rain, dirt, leaves, and insects. The resulting compositions—sometimes built over several years—are richly hued and layered with spontaneous, alchemic gestures that resemble bonfires, celestial bodies, and starbursts. In the tradition of camera-less photography championed by Laszlo Moholy-Nagy and Man Ray (and continued by Foerster’s contemporaries like Sam Falls and Jack Siegel), Foerster explores the formal potential of transfiguration, evolution, and decay.
Ryan Foerster (b. 1983 in Canada) is a photo and sculpture artist who currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.
