Almine Rech New York is pleased to announce Nocturner, Ryan Schneider's first solo exhibition with the gallery, on view through August 2, 2024. Vast and elemental, the allure of the Californian high desert is undeniable. The rugged landscape can be inhospitable and alien at times and mystical and magical at others. Strewn with craggy boulders, ringed by majestic mountains, and with expansive vistas as far as the eye can see, it is seductive in its unfamiliarity, its unknowability. There will always be more to discover, to explore, to conquer. For decades, artists have been captivated by the high desert’s magnetic energy, its magnificent light, and its promise of solitude, of space to think, reflect, and regenerate. It’s here—an hour from the nearest city—that Ryan Schneider has lived and worked for the last nine years.
Schneider’s practice initially focused on figurative and still life painting, exploring deep, personal narrative in cubist compositions. Several years ago, the abundance of open space around his studio encouraged Schneider to expand his practice to include sculpture. Inspired by the primal nature of the landscape, his long-standing interest in various traditions of ancient and Indigenous art, and a foundation in Cubism and German Expressionism, he took a break from painting and picked up a chainsaw.