Ray Beldner
Biography
Ray Beldner is a mixed media artist whose work has been exhibited nationally and internationally and can be found in many public and private collections including the National Portrait Gallery, Washington D.C., the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Oakland Museum of California, the San Jose Museum of Art, the di Rosa Preserve in Napa, California, the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, Arizona, and the Federal Reserve Board, Washington D.C., among others. The work is in several corporate collections as well: Saks Fifth Ave, Bain Capital, McKesson Corporation, President Hotel, NY, the Royal Sonestra Chicago Riverfront, and the Candler Hotel in Atlanta.
Born in San Francisco, Beldner received a BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute and an MFA from Mills College in Oakland, California. He has received numerous awards and fellowships including a California Arts Council Fellowship in New Genres, a Creative Work Fund Grant from the Haas Foundations, and a Potrero Nuevo environmental art grant. He has taught sculpture and interdisciplinary studies at the San Francisco Art Institute and the California College of the Arts, University of California, Berkeley and Santa Cruz.
His work has been reviewed in publications including Art in America, Art on Paper, Wired, the Boston Globe, the Los Angeles Times, the Village Voice, the International Herald Tribune and the New York Times. Recent catalogues with his work include: Inventing Marcel Duchamp: The Dynamics of Portraiture, MIT Press, 2009; Art of Engagement: Visual Politics in California and Beyond, University of California Press, 2006; Imaginary Economics: Contemporary Artists and the World of Big Money, NAi Publishers, 2005.
Artist Statement
My collage works emerge from a rich tapestry of artistic heritage, woven from fragments torn from the pages of art history found in books, auction catalogs, and contemporary art magazines. Influenced by the sculptural forms of Henry Moore and Jean Arp, I am captivated by the intricate shapes and textures they embody. In my deconstructive process, I unravel their shapes, piecing together a kaleidoscope of visually discordant compositions that challenge conventional perceptions.
Unlike my previous conceptual projects, this work unfolds organically, each creation a dialogue between my intuition and the raw materials at hand. As I delve deeper into this exploration, the collages evolve from simple layered constructs to expansive assemblages and freestanding sculptures.
The seismic shifts of the 2020 pandemic transformed my work, amplifying the intensity of colors and patterns. With each piece, I revel in the joy of invention and the complexities and contradictions of visual pleasure.
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