Ry Rocklen (b. 1978) is an American sculptor and installation artist known for rendering the aesthetic value and historic significance of found objects. Through the use of ceramic as a primary index of time and devotion, Rocklen grants his subjects second lives as revered sculptural objects, uncovering the overlooked artistries of everyday life.
Rocklen studied at CalArts, Santa Clarita, CA,1996 - 1998, received his BFA from the University of California, Los Angeles, CA (2001), and his MFA from the University of Southern California, CA (2006). Rocklen's work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. Solo exhibitions of Rocklen's work have been presented at Team Gallery, New York, NY; Feuer/Mesler, New York, NY; Honor Fraser, Los Angeles, CA; Lazy Eye Gallery, Yucca Valley, CA; Lamar Dodd School of Art, University of Georgia, Athens, GA (2014); and the Visual Arts Center, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX (2010). Rocklen has also been included in several major survey exhibitions, including the Whitney Biennial, Whitney Museum of American Art, NY (2008); Made in LA, Hammer Museum (2012); Murmurs: Recent Contemporary Acquisitions, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA (2013); Sculpture from the Hammer Contemporary Collection, Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA (2016); CURRENT:LA FOOD, Public Art Triennial, Los Angeles, CA (2019); That Was Then…This Was Now, MoMA PS1, Long Island City, NY (2008); Red Eye, The Rubell Collection, Miami, FL (2006); and the Athens Biennale 2009 HEAVEN, Athens, Greece (2009). His work belongs to public and private collections including Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA; the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA; Mohn Family Foundation, Santa Monica, CA; Thomas J. Watson Library, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY; Parrish Art Museum, Water Mill, NY; Beth Rudin DeWoody Collection, West Palm Beach, FL, and the Rubell Museum, Miami, FL.
Ry Rocklen lives and works in Joshua Tree, California.