Kathleen Ryan’s Gigantic Rotting Fruit Sculptures Have to Be Seen to Be Believed

We’ve seen many artists use their body of work to capture decay, but Kathleen Ryan is doing it in the most whimsical way possible. She’s using gemstones, crystals, beads, and everything in between to make gigantic sculptures of rotting fruits.

Ryan fell in love with ceramics in high school and college and took several administrative jobs in the art world because making a living as an artist seemed like an unrealistic dream at the time. Despite her practical approach, her passion for art didn’t fade away and she decided to explore her love for ceramics at UCLA.

It was always clear to Ryan she won’t be a traditional ceramicist, and she made a name for herself by thinking outside of the box and using gemstones, crystals, beads, and discarded objects to create gigantic sculptures that have to be seen to be believed.

She’s now best known for her larger-than-life sculptures of rotten fruits, and she came up with this idea after collecting all sorts of kitschy stuff at thrift stores and being intrigued by the idea of using them to portray decay and emptiness.

“They’re not just opulent, there’s an inherent sense of decline built into them… which is also something that’s happening in the world: the economy is inflating, but so is wealth inequality, all at the expense of the environment,” she told Arts Help.