Exhibitions

The Found Photographs — Ryan Belk | May 16th — July 6th | Reception May 16th from 5:30pm – 8:30pm

Artist Bio:

Ryan Belk (b. 1993) is a photographer based in Summerville, SC. Born and raised in North Charleston, at the age of 13, Belk was introduced to photography by his grandfather on a 35mm film camera. Belk was fascinated by how his grandfather documented the world around him growing up. He took that fascination and went on to study photography at the Art Institute of Charleston and left with a strong passion for storytelling. In the last five years, he’s focused on documenting the streets of Charleston, SC. His street work focuses on documenting late-stage capitalism at its most epic, hilarious, and benign.

Artist Statement:

My journey into the world of photography was deeply personal. It was my grandfather who first handed me a 35mm film camera when I was just 13. The first few rolls of film I shot were a revelation. Suddenly, the world around me had structure and meaning, and I could preserve those moments forever.When my grandfather passed away in 2018, I inherited his extensive archive of photographs. It was the first time I had ever seen any of these pictures. After going through these 35mm slides, I noticed similarities between my street photography and the photographs he made during his time in the Air Force. This collection of work is a celebration of my grandfather’s pictures and a showcase of how his relationship with the medium has influenced my work and how I see the world around me.