Chicago-based artist Michael x. Ryan gathers the quiet imprints we leave behind — from sidewalk stains and river paths to shower puddles and fallen tree limbs — and gives them form, weight, and voice. Through drawing, mapping, wood relief, and 3D printed objects, Ryan captures traces of human presence — the edge of a river, the imprint of a wet body, the marks on a street — and renders them as physical forms that evoke movement, memory, and place.

Born and raised in Syracuse, New York, he watched the hilly wooded area behind his house disappear into a flat barren empty lot which sat dormant for a number of years until rows of homes were built on winding roads of suburban comfort. Observing this change in landscape, from rural to sub/urban, helped form his interest in exploring the human mark within a landscape where layers of history are walked upon on a daily basis.

Michael x. Ryan’s work has been exhibited widely in the United States. His work has been acquired by a number of collections, such as The Art Institute of Chicago, MacArthur Foundation, Elmhurst Art Museum, American Medical Association, JP Morgan Chase, Everson Museum, Rockford Art Museum and the Illinois State Museum.