SORA was a place holder for this exhibition. What was to be my first solo exhibition in NYC changed several times. I started making work for the show late 2020, because of global events, I found myself without a studio and having to build a new one. Start fresh.
Late in 2020 I also received an email to change the dates of the show and compress it. I continued working.
At a point I realised the show would be made up of some AIR paintings on paper and some AIR painting discs. When making the AIR paintings I have a large catalogue of photographs, writing and watercolour studies that I can look back on, these sometimes get made into digital studies of the works. I never stop making and collecting these. When I make the AIR paintings, I do so in bursts and reference this catalogue/memories to make a show.
After having completed the show and finalising titles, I realised the date and time range started when I was just back from Berlin. I was waiting for hand surgery, then through moving to Melbourne, waiting through lockdowns, being kicked out of a studio, setting up a new one, having personal hardships and deciding to put down roots. Before this it felt like I was living with my bags packed.
SORA comes up as a fictional character’s name, I interpret it to be level, calm and powerful. In Japanese it is non gender specific and means sky/void. It is also the name I gave to my cat. After some time as a place holder and thinking that it would be weird to name a show after a cat, named after a fictional character. I realised that the name relates to this time in my life where I am striving to be level, calm and powerful.
RYAN HOFFMANN STUDIO © 2022 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED