Artist Bio

Christopher Ryan

Artist Bio

Christopher Ryan (b. Mobile, AL, 1968) is an international conceptual photographer, self-portrait artist, model, and curator. He began photographing the world around him at age ten, developing a practice recognized for its emotional resonance and transporting viewers into diverse communities across cultures, faiths, and socio-economic backgrounds.

From 2016 to 2019, Christopher lived in Thailand, which became the foundation for ongoing series, including Youth & Urban Decay, Youthful Ambition, Teens with Tattoos, Focus on Feet, and Nudes in the Landscape. The latter is featured on The Model Society and was exhibited at the Honorary Consulate of Iceland.

For nearly three decades—long before the rise of the “selfie”—Christopher has produced an extensive body of self-portraiture. He has also modeled for numerous artists, including internationally recognized body painters, art academies, and award-winning pastel and oil painters.

Following his time in Thailand, he founded Arabi Visual Arts, a community-based studio and gallery in New Orleans, where he expanded his self-portrait work and curated exhibitions featuring photographers from around the world.

Christopher’s work has been exhibited throughout Thailand and the United States, and he has presented to students in Thailand, Colombia, Honduras, India, and the U.S. His artistic perspective is shaped in part by an unconventional childhood spent working in his family’s traveling reptile show and vacationing at nudist resorts across the South.

He has served on the board of the ASMP Gulf South Chapter and is an active member of the Atlanta Photography Group.

Christopher lives in Trenton, NJ, with his wife, Jiep.