ARTIST STATEMENT | CONCRETE | RONAN BOYLE

Ronan Boyle’s Concrete Series is a study of the dialogue between Systems of Order and the Voice of Dissent, as it occurs on an urban landscape.

En route to his Downtown Eastside studio, Ronan was fascinated by the concrete wall as the common ground/shared space between the upper and lower classes, and its function as both a barrier between them, and as the canvas where the discourse between these opposing forces occurs. The constant battle between property owners and street artists resulted in an organic, ever-changing composition, which in its sophistication became something greater than the sum of its parts.

Boyle further explored this idea by literal and metaphorical means. Starting with a real concrete backdrop, his pieces incorporate stencil art, signs, post-ups, graph-out, and markings inspired by developers. Industrial text shouts oppressive commands alongside half-submerged figures of a nostalgic bourgeoisie, while mark-making and paint smears lend a sense of chaos to the once-pristine surface.

By removing this discourse from its context and viewing it in a new environment, the viewer enters the conversation and adds yet another dimension to the dynamic.