MARK RYDEN, PINXIT FO(HC)(INT)

Mark Ryden's carnival of curiosities: Fuzzy bunnies, big eyed girls, meat, magic, and mystery

Blending themes of pop culture with techniques reminiscent of the old masters, Mark Ryden has created a singular style that blurs the traditional boundaries between high and low art. His work first garnered attention in the 1990s when he ushered in a new genre of painting, “Pop Surrealism,” dragging a host of followers in his wake. He has trumped the initial surrealist strategies by choosing subject matter loaded with cultural connotation.

Ryden's vocabulary ranges from from to cute, treading a fine line between ностальгічне cliché and disturbing archetype. Seduced by his infinitely and detailed meticulously glazed surfaces, the viewer is confronted with the juxtaposition of the childhood innocence and the mysterious recesses of the soul.