Recovery illustrated

A LOVER’S PORTRAIT: The multicoloured painting The Mary Lisa represents artist Ryan Ledger’s admiration for his love Eddy, Muslim culture and religious practices in Malaysia.

Circle the Square, the latest exhibition at Tairāwhiti Museum, explores themes of identity and spirituality.

The paintings reflect artist Ryan Ledger’s mental health recovery after burning out after completing his media arts degree, while also making music videos in the underground R’n’B and Hip Hop scene in New Zealand.

He achieves this by using symbolism, colour and different mediums to give another dimension to his arts experience with the help of influences from the music he listened to while painting. Ledger’s creative process is very fluid as he switches painting styles, just as he jumps genres in a playlist.

One of his paintings, The Mary Lisa is a kaleidoscopic portrait of the love of his life Eddy.

“It’s called that because we call each other Mary when we get ourselves in a tiff over something small,” he says.

Ledger said his partner helped him gain back confidence in his life and has been there with him through thick and thin.

His abstract art called Divide and Conquer is a delight for the senses.

“Music is a powerful tool for the mind. It can change and provoke your thoughts and emotions,” Ledger said.

“I found the MKUltra project an interesting subject to research since I listen to music when I’m painting.”

(MKUltra was an illegal human experimentation programme designed and undertaken by the CIA in the United States, to develop procedures and identify drugs that could be used in interrogations to weaken individuals and force confessions through brainwashing and psychological torture.)

Ledger said listening to music had influenced him to take the path he has chosen in life.

Another work, called Golden Boi, is a self-portrait. Shedding some light on his inspiration, he recalls being highly medicated on antipsychotic drugs by a mental health doctor at one point.

He met Eddy when he was transferred to Auckland for further diagnosis.

“I ended up with an amazing friend and doctor through Eddy, who looked at my medication and said I was on far too high a dosage and on the wrong medication. The psychiatrist agreed as well.”

Ledger said he finally came off his medication during lockdown in 2021 as it was causing him anxiety.

“I’m feeling more myself than I have in a long time. Maybe all I needed in the beginning was some company and a bit of kindness.”

Ledger works in Perth and lives there with his partner Eddy.