Laurels of Xenon

Enticing and intriguing, Ryan Dodgson's objects defy classification, but demand attention.

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Ryan Dodgson's objects are assemblages of influence and design that stand on their own, but pull from an extremely diverse range of sources such as wooden toys; industrial and interior design from Bauhaus to Memphis; the opening scene in Who Framed Roger Rabbit; folk, vernacular and outsider art; Pee Wee's Playhouse and its lead designer Gary Panter; cartoonists such as Marc Bell, Ron Reg Jr. and Jim Woodring; Archer Prewitt's abstract drawings; Playmobil; the Fauvists; David Byrne; minimalist composers like Steve Reich; Helen Frankenthaler; and old time cartoons!

Printed in full colour with a gold metallic spot colour, Laurels of Xenon is a beautiful art object. Dodgson's unplanned, aleatoric drawings shine and reward multiple viewings. The xenon of the title refers to the lamps most often used in film projectors and is the closest thing to artificial sunlight. The book, with its gold and vibrant colours, captures light on page and projects it like the xenon of its title.

As an art book, Laurels of Xenon is more akin to piece of sculpture or an art object in and of itself. It is a window into a young artist's mindscape firing on all cylinders.