Ryan Travis Christian riffs on vintage animation and aesthetics, commonly referencing Chicago imagists, in his dark humor paintings and graphite drawings – which he renders in grayscale. The artist with a suburban upbringing often is inspired by Chicago, recounting domestic conditions as sites of surrealism, satire, and danger.

The artist has exhibited his work in New York, Los Angeles, Paris, and Berlin. Combining cartoon aesthetics with violent themes and mysterious images, Christian unravels tired American myths. Many consider the artist to have a childlike style, which clashes against immigration, class division, depression, and alcohol abuse.

Born into a blue-collar family in 1983, the artist’s childhood was defined by music first, then art. At school his art teachers introduced him to artists that spoke his language, catapulting him into dimensions of the past and present.