b. 1991
Ryan Hoffmann is an artist currently working in Melbourne/Naarm. His practice operates at the intersection of painting and objecthood – extending abstraction through the exploration of material, colour, surface, and light. The work takes form as both artistic research and an investigation of perception, temporality, and lived experience.
In his work, a material language referencing formal artistic traditions is manipulated to create forms, shaped supports, sculptures and to explore painting in the expanded field. The ever-shifting quality of his work is present in the consideration given to how the works interact with their environment, evident in the materials, finishes and forms. This positions them as both surface and object.
His titles, drawn from personal memory and specific temporal markers, function as mnemonic anchors, they situate the work within biography and lived duration. His practice considers how abstraction might register experience, inviting sustained attention to the process of recording and working with light, colour, presence and material.
Hoffmann completed a Master of Fine Art degree at the National Art School, Sydney, in affiliation with the Glasgow School of Art, Scotland, in 2014. He has exhibited nationally and internationally, including exhibitions in Melbourne, Sydney, Scotland, and New York, and has been recognised through awards and finalist selections, including being a recipient of the Mark Henry Cain Memorial Prize. His work has been presented within both commercial and institutional contexts including the National Gallery of Victoria, contributing to an ongoing discourse surrounding contemporary abstraction.
EDUCATION
2014
MFA, National Art School, Sydney / Glasgow School of Art, Scotland
2012
BFA (Honours), National Art School, Sydney
CONTACT
RYAN HOFFMANN STUDIO © 2025 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2024
Be Water
Sophie Gannon Gallery
Melbourne,
2023
Don’t Change, Beautiful Boy
Liverpool Street Gallery
Sydney, Australia
2022
A White Flower Can Also Be A Ghost
Sophie Gannon Gallery
Melbourne, Australia
2021
Notes on Falling
Liverpool Street Gallery
Sydney, Australia
2021
SORA
Tambaran 2 Gallery
New York City, USA
2024
Be Water
Sophie Gannon Gallery
Melbourne,
Australia
2023
Don’t Change, Beautiful Boy
Liverpool Street Gallery
Sydney, Australia
2022
A White Flower Can Also Be A Ghost
Sophie Gannon Gallery
Melbourne, Australia
2021
Notes on Falling
Liverpool Street Gallery
Sydney, Australia
2021
SORA
Tambaran 2 Gallery
New York City, USA
2020
52°33.261′N 13°26.347′E
Liverpool Street Gallery
52°33.261′N 13°26.347′E
Liverpool Street Gallery
Sydney, Australia
2019
ASH/RUST/DUST
Liverpool Street Gallery
Sydney, Australia
ASH/RUST/DUST
Liverpool Street Gallery
Sydney, Australia
2018
Orchid
Broken Hill Art Exchange
Broken Hill, Australia
Orchid
Broken Hill Art Exchange
Broken Hill, Australia
2018
Drift
Liverpool Street Gallery
Sydney, Australia
2017
AIR
Liverpool Street Gallery
Sydney, Australia
AIR
Liverpool Street Gallery
Sydney, Australia
2015
Third Person
Liverpool Street Gallery
Sydney, Australia
2014
Mark
Henry Cain Memorial Prize Residency exhibition
Glasgow School of Art
Glasgow, Scotland
Glasgow School of Art
Glasgow, Scotland
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2023
Sydney Contemporary Art Fair
Sophie Gannon Gallery
Sydney, Australia (Off-site)
Winter Exhibition
Sophie Gannon Gallery
Melbourne, Australia
Melbourne, Australia
2022
Showcase by New Assemblage, Melbourne Design Week 2022 Oigall Projects
Melbourne, Australia
Primavera
Liverpool Street Gallery
Sydney, Australia
2021
Quarantine Art Fair
Sophie Gannon Gallery
Melbourne, Australia (Off-site)
Melbourne, Australia (Off-site)
Gallery Artists
Sophie Gannon Gallery
Melbourne, Australia
Melbourne, Australia
2019
Far Off
Tambaran 2
Gallery
New York City, USA
New York City, USA
Minimal Lines
Liverpool Street Gallery
Sydney, Australia
Sydney, Australia
2018
'We've boundless plains to share', (Flack Studio-Rigg Design Prize)
National Gallery of Victoria
Melbourne, Australia
'We've boundless plains to share', (Flack Studio-Rigg Design Prize)
National Gallery of Victoria
Melbourne, Australia
3x3
Liverpool Street Gallery
Sydney, Australia
Sydney, Australia
2016
Future form
Hoff Space, National Art School
Sydney, Australia
Settin' the Pace
Liverpool Street Gallery
Sydney, Australia
Sydney, Australia
2015
Sydney Contemporary Art Fair
Liverpool Street Gallery
Sydney, Australia (Off-site)
Sydney, Australia (Off-site)
James and Jaqui Erskine Collection
Drill Hall Gallery
Canberra, Australia
Grace Cossington Smith Prize
Grace Cossington Smith Gallery
Wahroonga, Australia
2014
The InterGalactic Image Factory
Liverpool Street Gallery
Sydney, Australia
2013
Redlands Konika Minolta Art Prize Exhibition
The National Art School Gallery
Sydney, Australia
Anonymous and Film Stills
The Conductors Project
Sydney, Australia
2012
Think Twice
Gallery eight
Sydney, Australia
Topographic 3
Gallery eight project space
Sydney, Australia
AWARDS & PRIZES
2022
Mossman Art Prize, Mossmann Art Gallery (Finalist)
2018
Rigg Design Prize, National Gallery Victoria (Flack Studio Finalist entry)
Fleurieu Biennle (Finalist)
2015
Chippendale Art Prize (Finalist)
2014
Chippendale Art Prize (Finalist)
2013
Redland Konika Minolta Art Prize (Finalist)
2012
Mark Henry Cain Memorial Prize (Winner)
2010
Chroma Archival Oils Prize (Winner)
RESIDENCIES
2018
Broken Hill Art Exchange Artist Residency
2014
Mark Henry Cain Memorial Prize Residency, Scotland
PUBLICATIONS
2026
Design Instinct, est living, Issue 60, Australia
2025
Collecting: Living with Art, written by Kym Elphinstone, Thames and Hudson, Australia
2024
Assemblage: The Art of the Room, by Shannon McGrath, Annie Reid and Marcus Piper, Thames and Hudson, Australia
“Little Red”, Domain Review, July 24, 2024
Gillian Serisier, Habitus Living Magazine, Issue 61
Art Edit Magazine, Swee Lim Design, photo Shannon McGrath
Be Water, Artist Book (self-published)
2023
Gillian Serisier, “3 young artists exploring memory, light and colour”, Habitus Living
“Studio Visit”, The Design Files
“Ryan Hoffmann, Don’t change, beautiful boy”, Mutual Art
2022
“A white flower can also be a ghost”, Art Collector Magazine
“Artist Q and A”, Carr
A white flower can also be a ghost, Artist Book (self-published)
“Ryan Hoffmann: The Relationship Between Nature and Art”, Isabella Pocock, Kings College London
2021
Notes on Falling, Artist Book (self-published)
2020
52° 33' 26.1 " N, Artist Book (self-published)
2019
“New Horizons”, Inprint Magazine
ASH/RUST/DUST, Artist Book (self-published)
ARTEMIS Magazine, Newcastle Art Gallery
2018
Feature: Artist in Residence, The Broken Hill Times
Drift, Artist Book (self-published)
2017
Air, Artist Book (self-published)
2015
James and Jaqui Erskine Collection, White Buffalo publishing
2014
Jane O’Sullivan, “Dealer’s Hand”, Art Collector, Issue 68, Apri-Jun 2014, p103
Sharne Wolff, “The InterGalactic Image Factory”,The ArtLife, 7th February 2014
“Open Gallery – The InterGalactic Image Factory”, Spectrum, The Sydney Morning Herald, 1st February
Redlands Konika Minolta art prize, Exhibition program
Emporio Armani National Art school, Exhibition program
Chroma Archival oil prize, Online publication/Art profile
COLLECTIONS
QT, Newcastle
Marina Bay Sands, Singapore
Newcastle Art Gallery Permanent Collection, Newcastle
PwC Collection, Canberra
Baker McKenzie Collection
Allens / Linklaters, Australia
National Art School Collection, Sydney
Private Collections in Australia, USA, Hong Kong, Italy, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, and Switzerland
2022
Mossman Art Prize, Mossmann Art Gallery (Finalist)
2018
Rigg Design Prize, National Gallery Victoria (Flack Studio Finalist entry)
Fleurieu Biennle (Finalist)
2015
Chippendale Art Prize (Finalist)
Grace Cossington Smith Prize (Finalist)
2014
Chippendale Art Prize (Finalist)
2013
Redland Konika Minolta Art Prize (Finalist)
2012
Mark Henry Cain Memorial Prize (Winner)
2010
Chroma Archival Oils Prize (Winner)
RESIDENCIES
2018
Broken Hill Art Exchange Artist Residency
2014
Mark Henry Cain Memorial Prize Residency, Scotland
PUBLICATIONS
2026
Design Instinct, est living, Issue 60, Australia
2025
Collecting: Living with Art, written by Kym Elphinstone, Thames and Hudson, Australia
2024
Assemblage: The Art of the Room, by Shannon McGrath, Annie Reid and Marcus Piper, Thames and Hudson, Australia
“Little Red”, Domain Review, July 24, 2024
Gillian Serisier, Habitus Living Magazine, Issue 61
Art Edit Magazine, Swee Lim Design, photo Shannon McGrath
Be Water, Artist Book (self-published)
2023
Gillian Serisier, “3 young artists exploring memory, light and colour”, Habitus Living
“Studio Visit”, The Design Files
“Ryan Hoffmann, Don’t change, beautiful boy”, Mutual Art
2022
“A white flower can also be a ghost”, Art Collector Magazine
“Artist Q and A”, Carr
A white flower can also be a ghost, Artist Book (self-published)
“Ryan Hoffmann: The Relationship Between Nature and Art”, Isabella Pocock, Kings College London
2021
Notes on Falling, Artist Book (self-published)
2020
52° 33' 26.1 " N, Artist Book (self-published)
2019
“New Horizons”, Inprint Magazine
ASH/RUST/DUST, Artist Book (self-published)
ARTEMIS Magazine, Newcastle Art Gallery
2018
Feature: Artist in Residence, The Broken Hill Times
Drift, Artist Book (self-published)
2017
Air, Artist Book (self-published)
2015
James and Jaqui Erskine Collection, White Buffalo publishing
2014
Jane O’Sullivan, “Dealer’s Hand”, Art Collector, Issue 68, Apri-Jun 2014, p103
Sharne Wolff, “The InterGalactic Image Factory”,The ArtLife, 7th February 2014
“Open Gallery – The InterGalactic Image Factory”, Spectrum, The Sydney Morning Herald, 1st February
Redlands Konika Minolta art prize, Exhibition program
Emporio Armani National Art school, Exhibition program
Chroma Archival oil prize, Online publication/Art profile
COLLECTIONS
QT, Newcastle
Marina Bay Sands, Singapore
Newcastle Art Gallery Permanent Collection, Newcastle
PwC Collection, Canberra
Baker McKenzie Collection
Allens / Linklaters, Australia
National Art School Collection, Sydney
Private Collections in Australia, USA, Hong Kong, Italy, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, and Switzerland