Background Image

Ryan Daffurn

What

Ryan Daffurn undertook a six month residency program at the influential Spinnerei complex in Leipzig, Germany. The Leipzig international Art (LIA) residency program is a not-for-profit organisation hosting international artists, offering a platform that fosters dialogues and exchange about artistic practice.

The residency enabled Ryan to produce a significant body of work preparing him for a number of upcoming exhibitions and opportunities in 2016.

Since the residency, Ryan has acquired a new studio in Leipzig where he will continue working until early 2017, when he will return to Brisbane for his first solo exhibition at the Heiser Gallery in mid-2017.

Ryan Daffurn, Crowning

When

August 2015 – January 2016 

Where

Leipzig, Germany

Arts Queensland contribution

$6,700 – Individuals Fund

Outcomes

  • Ryan was able to complete a significant new body of work and connect with other Leipzig artists.
  • Having his work constantly displayed on the walls of the Spinnerei helped Ryan sell artworks produced during the residency.
  • Berlin-based artist, Ruprecht Von Kaufmann accepted an invitation to meet with Ryan and critique his work. This led to the opportunity of helping Von Kaufmann in the installation of two of his exhibitions in Rottweil and Berlin.
  • Ryan will undertake a joint exhibition, Probed Light, with another ex LIA resident, Carlos Sagrera at Galerie KTR in Leipzig.
  • LIA has proposed a joint exhibition at the Australian Embassy in Berlin for Ryan and another Australian LIA resident, David Ashley Kerr.
  • Ryan has been selected for the Asherleben residency program from July-September 2016.
  • Ryan will take part in group exhibitions with Eigenheim Galerie in Berlin and Weimar. 

Learnings and reflections

Ryan reflected on the opportunities provided by the residency and the positive impact on his practice:

The residency was a highly visible situation, in a competitive art community. In this situation I learned how to filter all the intense new experiences. I structured my time into an orderly work program. Using this approach I could research, experiment, make mistakes and then choose where to focus my energies into larger projects. The pressure was positive and all the exposure to amateurs and experts helped me to reflect on my ideas in real time, adjusting as needed.

I had the chance to develop a site-specific body of work, which was about my experiences in Leipzig. It’s a bit like a time capsule that recorded all the different approaches and responses that I had. This was the perfect situation for me to experiment with many different creative approaches including new media, subject matter, various sizes of work and a different aesthetic for each piece.

I think artists need to create their own long-term strategy, which supports and protects their work time. Continuity in one’s work is the hardest thing to maintain as an artist, usually due to financial pressures and the outside work required to support our art practice. Spending six months in Leipzig allowed me to have the space and time to invest in a large body of work. My residency was longer than most of the other participants and gave me the chance to become more immersed in the community and make important contacts.

Contact for further information

Website: www.rwdaffurn.com

Links

Ryan’s bio on the Spinnerei website:
http://www.liap.eu/en/content/view/462/28/

Review of joint exhibition in Leipzig:
https://duchessyork.wordpress.com/tag/carlos-sagrera/

 

A pdf version of this case study (PDF) (138.27 KB)  is also available.

 

Case study page image: Ryan Daffurn, Skyfalling, 2015. Image courtesy of the artist.

Header image this page: Ryan Daffurn, Whitewash, 2016. Image courtesy of the artist.