Ryan Cairns

The work on show consists of being visually attracted to working-class architectures and derelict environments similar to where I have previously grown up around as a child, I believe I have been drawn to these environments because of how imperfect these structures are, with things like dirt, rust, stains and graffiti covering a lot of these walls and surfaces they are very far away from looking new or perfect which personally I feel ads more personality to them and sometimes offers me more of insight to the history of sexual, political or social situations of the local community. 

Graffiti on walls, graffiti removal and walls in general have given me a considerable amount of inspiration for my current project and most of my work up to now looking closely at textures and compositions from specific locations around Edinburgh and Dundee. As someone who has experience in outdoor mark making, I have been challenging myself to try integrating my art into a more contemporary way of working adding more thought to my procedures and looking at and taking inspiration from other artists with a similar practice that have more theory/ contextual aspects to their work. I would like to bring graffiti into the contemporary world in hopes of highlighting the already thoughtful concepts behind the street art that is so prevalent in our community.