Ryan Gander

How the soul produces code (Pathological Demand Avoidance II)

Year 2023
Medium Stickers on music paper
Dimensions 28 x 21.7 cm

About the work

Christmas themed metallic children’s stickers adhered to a found sheet music score paper by Baxter Ian Gander, the artist’s son who happens to be autistic. The positions of the stickers produce a happenstansical musical composition that can be translated by a musician

Through associative thought processes that connect the everyday and the esoteric, the overlooked and the commonplace, Gander’s work involves a questioning of language and knowledge, as well as a reinvention of both the modes of appearance and the creation of an artwork. His work can be reminiscent of a puzzle, or a network with multiple connections and the fragments of an embedded story. It is ultimately a huge set of hidden clues to be deciphered, encouraging viewers to make their own associations and invent their on narrative in order to unravel the complexities staged by the artist.

Date and country of birth

1976, GB

Career Highlights

Recent solo shows have been held at Ishikawa Cultural Foundation, Okayama, Japan (2023); Annet Gelink, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (2023); Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery, Tokyo, Japan (2022); East Gallery at NUA, Norwich, UK (2022); Space K, Seoul, South Korea (2021); Lisson Gallery, New York, USA (2020); Kunsthalle Bern, Switzerland (2019); Lisson Gallery, Shanghai, China (2019), Esther Schipper, Berlin, Germany (2019), 21st Biennale of Sydney, Australia (2018), TARO NASU, Tokyo, Japan (2018); gb Agency, Paris, France (2018); Dazaifu Shrine, Fukuoka, Japan (2017); Remai Modern, Saskatoon, Canada (2017); The Contemporary Austin, TX, USA (2017); the National Museum of Art Osaka, Osaka, Japan (2017); Hyundai Gallery, Seoul, South Korea (2017).