Destiny Ryan

Columbus College of Art and Design

Artwork title: Metamorphosis
acrylic on canvas | 48 x 48 inches

Tell us about the work that you have submitted.
I created this painting during a prolonged bipolar mania. For me, it is an honest representation of untreated mental illness. I see the figures as a humorous metaphor for a kind of brutal emergence from a chrysalis: the upright figure taking over and leaving behind a shell.

How do you describe your work and practice?
I make vibrant paintings and sculptures, featuring cartoonish, anatomical figures, to articulate my experience with being inside of a human body. By combining cheerful colors and child-like aspects with morbid psychological themes, I aim to elicit conflicting feelings of amusement and discomfort.

What motivated you to apply to the AXA Art Prize?
I was motivated by the idea of having my painting displayed at distinguished galleries in three influential art communities. I am also interested in seeing how a wider public, outside of my college, will respond to my piece.

What themes regularly resurface?
Trauma and mental illness are recurring themes in my work, in addition to existentialism and the human condition. I intend for my work to spread awareness of the reality of mental illness while being relatable and comforting to those who suffer from mental illness.

Instagram | @destiny.ryan.art