the bejeweled rotting fruit sculptures of kathleen ryan exhibited online at karma gallery

new-york based artist kathleen ryan sculpts larger-than-life, rotting fruit sculptures, encrusted with glass beads and gemstones. created as allegories for sexuality, decadence, and the cycle of life, the bejeweled pieces appear to be covered in mold. her latest scaled-up fruit sculptures, which include two ‘bad lemons’ and a pair of ‘bad cherries, are available for viewing in a recent online exhibition by karma gallery.‘bad lemon (tart)’, 2020, ‘bad lemon (persephone’), 2020, ‘bad cherries (BFF)’, 2020

all images courtesy of the artist and karma, new york

glass beads and gemstones such as citrine, amber, agate, and turquoise adorn kathleen ryan‘s latest ‘bad fruit’ sculptures, which can be viewed online at karma. the new-york based artist creates the pieces by carving styrofoam into fruit shapes that range from 17 to 21 inches in diameter. the sculptures are then covered in beads and semi-precious gemstones in order to create a moldering effect on their ‘skin’.kathleen ryan, ‘bad lemon (tart)’, 2020 | citrine, amber, agate, turquoise, fluorite, prehnite, magnesite, ching hai jade, quartz, amethyst, garnet, labradorite, white lip shell, serpentine, sesame jasper, zebra jasper, grey feldspar, marble, glass, steel pins on coated polystyrene | 19 × 16 × 17 inches; 48.3 × 40.6 × 43.2 cm

allegories for sexuality, decadence, and the cycle of life, the rotten fruit sculptures are encrusted with faceted stones of various sizes, which are pinned onto each piece’s styrofoam body. while ryan prefers precious, dazzling stones for the rot, she uses ordinary glass beads for the pristine part of the fruit. the latest additions in her ‘bad fruit’ series are a pair of bright red ‘bad cherries’ and two ‘bad lemons’.bad lemon (tart)’, 2020bad lemon (tart)’, 2020bad lemon (tart)’, 2020

kathleen ryan, ‘bad cherries (BFF)’, 2020 | agate, amazonite, aquamarine, aventurine, amethyst, angelite, brecciaded jasper, garnet, jasper, labradorite, magnesite, moonstone, quartz, red aventurine, rhyolite, serpentine, snow quartz, smoky quartz, spotted quartz, unakite, tiger eye, freshwater pearls, glass, steel pins on coated polystyrene, fishing poles | 26 × 12 × 39 inches; 66 × 30.5 × 99.1 cm