Artist based in Detroit, Michigan
Daniel Ribar, Artist in the studio
Tell us about yourself, what's your background?
I loved drawing and working with paper as a kid, building dirtbike tracks and skateboard ramps with my friends.
My grandmother gave me a Polaroid camera when I was probably seven or eight, I remember using it to document my friends and family. This was before digital and the immediacy of Polaroids was captivating. The film was also much more available back then so I’d play around a lot and cut the pictures up or draw on them with markers. That later transitioned into high school photo classes, then studying it in college, and now in graduate school where I’ve been interested in trying to push against some of the ways I’ve operated in the past.
Left: Fisher Window 34 of 95, recent work dealing with restrictions
Right: Pokemon, part of a current project titled Nothing Belongs to Anyone
"The style in which I approach making work recently has been much looser than in the past. I used to lock myself in place before starting a project, overthinking every aspect . . . I’m leaning into a looser approach . . . Having obstacles presented along the way almost always leads me to something more interesting than the original idea I was working towards."
Left: Romen Candle Red One, recent work focusing on repurposing my own work.
Right: Unintentional Hand Painting, Recent work playing off the value of an image.
What are you currently working on and where did the inspiration for it come from?
I’m working on a few different things simultaneously, which is a new kind of approach for me.
I start a lot of little projects and allow my mind to bounce around from one to the other as I slowly work on them. They’re all different and can usually stand on their own but always, in surprising ways, end up informing each other. I think it’s that relationship to surprise that I’m interested in at the moment. Attempting to lean into this idea of malleability when applied to a concept.
Some of these can be seen on my website
*Studies 23-24
Left: Untitled A Work in progress. Right: Fence Hops Attempt 13 of 36 Recent work focusing on the repetition of an activity and what constitutes something as successful.
Innovation does not only happen in the field of technology — it occurs everyday in a creative practice. What do you do for inspiration?
Inspiration tends to come at me from a lot of different directions.
I think there are ways in which I can more intentionally summon it up, like walking through some of the local museums we’re fortunate enough to have here in Detroit or poking around in the library at school. Those more traditional ways of seeking inspiration have been beneficial to my work in the past but lately, I’ve been trying to tap into these more unorthodox moments that seem to spark inspiration and think about what that means.
Left: Orange Wall White Light Exercise of making images using a tennis ball and desk lamp.
Right: Coffee Grinder Silencer Prototype 003 Work in progress
Often an idea will hit me at the most random of times - jogging around the city or while playing golf. I think having a lot of interests outside of art has been helpful when it comes to inspiration. Each of my hobbies and interests informs the work I end up thinking about.
Woodward Ave 1 Recent work utilizing old images with new text-based images.
Focusing on recontextualizing text seen driving to and from school each day over two weeks.
Where do ideas start for you? In the studio or being in the world?
I kind of touched on this already but each project is a bit different in the way it comes about.
Having multiple projects or self-assigned exercises going at once helps keep me on my toes. Some start from a line of text I’ll read or something random I’ll see in a film.
Others are more self-induced where I force myself to start working in the studio while allowing myself to be reactive to the process. Ideas lately have been coming from all over the place. Most of them aren’t great but it’s still part of my process to write them down and sit with them.
Woodward Ave 2 Recent work utilizing old images with new text-based images.
Focusing on recontextualizing text seen driving to and from school each day over two weeks.
How do you make your work, does it start with a sketch?
My work lately has been coming from all over the place. Phone videos, field recordings, collaborative projects, and my old photographs paired with new work creating narratives that otherwise would never exist.
The style in which I approach making work recently has been much looser than in the past. I used to lock myself in place before starting a project, overthinking every aspect of what I needed to fulfill the idea I had in my head. I’m leaning into a looser approach to the way I make work now. I’m interested in how an idea or concept can shift and bend as I work with it. Having obstacles presented along the way almost always leads me to something more interesting than the original idea I was working towards.
Studio views
Many artists live by their routines, do you have your own studio or work ritual? What does that look like for you?
Work hard in the day, either in the studio or out in the world, visiting other artists, talking, reading, or thinking about art.
Then do something else in the evening - go for a run, play hockey, or go to the movies. 90% of the time ideas and solutions to problems come from me getting out of my own way.
I try to do my writing later at night.
Scenes from the studio
Who are your biggest influences?
The close friends I grew up with.
My partner, painter Martyna Alexander.
So many of the artists I coexist with within Detroit.
Classmates at Cranbrook.
Harrell Fletcher
All sculptures are listed as Untitled Brick Build. Made between 9/23/23 -10/30/23
Are there books or films that are an important source of inspiration?
Lately, I’ve been reading Agnes Martin, Baldessari, and Robert Irwin.
Scenes from the studio
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
Be careful what you acclimate to.
What is the best advice you would give to other artists?
Unlearning is just as important as learning.
Portrait of the artist
Stay up to date with Daniel Ribar
Instagram @daniel.ribar
Website danielribar.com