Ian S K Riby

Ian Riby (b. London, 2003) is a process-led painter, who examines paint, surface and mark-making. His images are intuitive, devoid of subject and plan, and reworked constantly even beyond moments of satisfaction. He accepts uncertainty of his paintings, promoting a sense of flux or awkwardness.

Riby’s work has been rooted in the psychological state of his studio: a dark, draughty and low-ceiling room isolated from his peers that opens out to an eery, empty lightwell. He must follow a short set of fixed parameters each session, developing frustration and haste in his first minutes of work. By embracing this discomfort and tension with speakers playing loud the likes of Ornette Coleman, his painting has become automatic and of subconscious thought. Riby is concerned with accessing the unfamiliar.