Better than nothing is the title of the first solo exhibition of mosaic works by Anglo-Irish artist Ruaidhri Ryan (Leicester, 1988), curated by Eleonora Savorelli and organized by marte.

Better than nothing serves as the concluding exhibition of the first edition of Particelle, marte’s art residency project. The exhibition will open on Friday, November 22, at 6 PM at marte, via Sant’Alberto 19, Ravenna, and it will be accompanied by a live improvisation performance by Giacomo Gaudenzi and R.Y.F. at 7 PM. The exhibition will remain open to visitors until December 22, 2024.

Ruaidhri Ryan is the first artist-in-residence selected by marte for the Particelle project. A multidisciplinary artist living and working in London, Ruaidhri’s work spans from mosaic to filmmaking, delving into contemporary visual culture and exploring the dissonance between expectation and reality.

Better than nothing draws its title from a lecture Ruaidhri gave at the London School of Mosaic. The exhibition reflects the artist’s research and poetic vision, which borrows from the language of cinema to reflect on themes like quietness, consumption and the contemporary condition. Ruaidhri’s works capture attention with objects suspended in time and devoid of context, inviting a contemplative state that recalls the atmospheres evoked by Luigi Ghirri and Domenico Gnoli. The exhibition features nine mosaic works, including four previously unseen pieces, and a new video created by the artist, filmed in the heart of Ravenna.

Mosaics of objects used in everyday life are depicted through a time-consuming technique that in antiquity served to recount grandiose events, worthy of passing into history. Ruaidhri remarks: “My mosaics often show items that could be seen as the detritus of contemporary life, the mundane objects, the disposable, the overlooked, under-considered […]  a kind of diary of humankind’s contemporary achievements […] What would a future society think about these, if they discovered them?” (Alif Ibrahim, Through his mosaics, Ruaidhri Ryan elevates overlooked and mundane objects, “It’s Nice That,” March 30, 2021).

The Particelle artistic residency program, supported by the Municipality of Ravenna and established through a collaboration agreement between the Department for Youth Policies, Universal Civil Service, and the Emilia-Romagna Region, aims to host national and international artists. The goal is to create shared narratives that explore new perspectives and viewpoints on Ravenna and its contemporary art scene. marte seeks to foster innovative explorations of the city through cultural exchange with its urban fabric and community. marte’s space serves as a laboratory, office, exhibition venue, and so on, functioning as a versatile hub for the city and its residents.

The first Particelle residency with Ruaidhri Ryan took place in November, in collaboration with the Academy of Fine Arts of Ravenna. Through an open call, marte selected three assistants — Lorenzo Baruzzi, Roberta Casadei, and Anna Lo Scalzo — who, along with students Eva Petuousca and Misho Stojanovski, co-produced two artworks. The residency and the exhibition are part of the centennial celebrations of the Academy of Fine Arts of Ravenna.

This project is supported by the patronage of the Municipality of Ravenna and carried out under the Cooperation Agreement between the Department for Youth Policies, Universal Civil Service, and the Emilia-Romagna Region – FPG 2023 – Agreement 202/CU/2023.

Special thanks to the Municipality of Ravenna, Emilia-Romagna Region, Academy of Fine Arts of Ravenna, Rete Almagiá, ARCI Ravenna, and Bronson Produzioni for their invaluable collaboration.

Photo by Lorenzo Pasini