Road Runner

Overview

Alternative artist Ryan Ballinger’s latest work is a tribute to his father, Paul Ballinger, marathon record breaker and esteemed New Zealand athlete. Paul smashed the previous New Zealand record when he ran the Fukuoka marathon in two hours, ten minutes and fifteen seconds in 1982.

And now, over thirty years down the track, his son Ryan has dedicated his art to his father’s feats in the Road Runner exhibition. In order to add congruence and viability to his work, Ryan trained under Olympic bronze medalist Barry Magee, the very same trainer that drove his father to success. Although his talent is more producing paintings than pounding the pavement, Ryan has been inspired by his marathoning father, and in his latest work he reproduces the art within the act of running.

Seeing as the gallery is currently halfway through a site-change, the exhibit will be displayed in parts, split between two locations. As a part of the exhibit, the video Ankles Tied heads the collections, with vibes that echo Richard Serra’s black and white 1960’s flicks such as Hands Tied. There will also be a public sculpture erected called, fittingly, The Runners High. As the link between the disparate galleries an interactive exercise, labelled Trust Exercise #1, demonstrates the trust between the artist and the gallery as shown by his engagement with the public space. Ryan will use the act of running as a performative art practise and a way of uniting the separate spaces.

If you’re a traditional art lover, and would rather examine canvases than concrete, then maybe the twist will add a little interest for you. The challenge here, is that Ryan is entirely unfamiliar with the location. He will be listening to step-by-step directions through a walkie-talkie as he runs, guided by the project curator, Kenny Willis, who will wield full control over the runner’s path. Hence the whole trust relationship between artist and gallery, you see?