tableau CITY
RYAN CARTER

​Every moment is a tableau. Taking the last drag of a cigarette before stepping into a small town dairy. Walking to the restroom across a crowded office space. Facing an intimidating pile of laundry.

​In his latest exhibition, Tableau City, Ryan Carter draws on his career as an actor and writer to explore his obsession with the intricate details that any given moment or thought can contain. The forensic nature of his medium inspires a near-clinical dissection of whatever is present within the layers, allowing these fleeting, pedestrian occurrences to warp, exaggerate, and pixelate into the fantastical. Chaotically bouncing between warm nostalgia and existential dread, the work creates a sensory overload of humorous, violent, sexy, wild, dull, uneasy, lonely, and joyous moments. These moments endlessly form and fade around us, reminding the viewer that perception is the only barrier separating the ordinary from something theatrical.

While the fantastical digital structures explore the anatomy of corner stores, inner-city streets, skyscrapers, and suburbia, the painted works focus on the anatomy of the body. Tableaus of moments trapped within veins and thoughts twist and spiral between control and chaos. Using paint to enhance the organic, mercurial nature of these inner moments.
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In Tableau City, Carter captures the dichotomy of modern Western existence. We are all the main character, yet no one is. Every moment holds weight, yet no moment truly matters. Tableau City captures something expansive, in a tiny glass box.

EXHIBITION CATALOGUE

Ryan Carter
Karangahape
​​Laminated Float Glass and Gel Transfer
H120 x W1150 x D120 mm
2024
​$19,000
​Available
Ryan Carter
Spiralling
​​Laminated Float Glass and Painted Details
Diameter 350 x D120mm
2024
​$7,500
​Available
Ryan Carter
Crown Lynn
​​Resin with Readymade and Painted Details
Diameter 305 x D74mm
SOLD
Ryan Carter
Temporary
​​​Laminated Float Glass and Gel Transfer with Painted Elements
Diameter 350 x D125mm
2024
​$9,000
​Available
Ryan Carter
Strict Suburb
​​Laminated Float Glass and Gel Transfer
H110 x W1100 x D100 mm
2024
​$17,000
​Available
Ryan Carter
Vessels
​​Laminated Float Glass and Painted Details
W150 x H700 x D150 mm
2024
​$11,000
​Available
Ryan Carter
Re-Structure
​Laminated Float Glass and Gel Transfer
W120 x H1190 x D120 mm
2024
​$19,000
​Available
Ryan Carter
Milk Run
​Laminated Float Glass and Gel Transfer
W150 x 730 x D150 mm
2024
​$17,000
​Available

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

Ryan Carter is an Auckland-based artist whose captivating sculptures, crafted from glass and resin, invite viewers into intricate worlds where time, illusion, and the body intersect. Drawing from his experience as an actor and writer, Carter’s work combines a rich blend of the dramatic, the playful, and the deeply reflective, encouraging a sense of irreverence that frees the viewer from overbearing themes and allows for a more personal, open-ended exploration of each piece.

Carter’s sculptures go beyond visual appeal—they are thought-provoking sociological commentaries, layered with subtle references to literature, history, technology, and the self. His pieces act as windows into multifaceted narratives, whether through the shards of a suspended object or the delicate intricacies of layered collages. Each work challenges the viewer to pause and examine, offering not just a visual experience but an opportunity for contemplation about the complexities of the human condition.
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Carter brings a seasoned artist’s eye and a dynamic energy that blends his broader arts background with his evolving visual practice. His sculptures, both meticulous in execution and rich with emotional depth, reward close inspection and provoke thought.