Exhibition Preview: Wolfgang Ryan's Lamps From Recycled Materials

Artist Ryan Doberstein (Wolfgang Ryan) proclaims "Recycle or Die!" as his motto. His work draws on a family compulsion to reduce waste by imbuing new life into old objects, producing sculptural pieces that are beautiful and often humorous.

Collecting refuse from NYC dumpsters, junk shops, and discount stores, Wolfgang Ryan re-purposes these pieces and gives them functionality while retaining remnants of their former values and aesthetics. His pieces explore the ways in which "high" and "low" cultural references can be simultaneously present in one object.

In Cafe Bustelo, shown below, Wolfgang ryan uses an old coffee can to allude to greater issues related to the historical coffee trade and present-day globalization.

Wolfgang Ryan | Cafe Bustelo | 2007 | Coffee can, metal, lamp parts | 7" x 5.5"

See more of Wolfgang Ryan's work at the Amplify Action exhibition, opening April 21st at Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation's Skylight Gallery.