Statement
I am thrilled to share my work from "Youth and Urban Decay" with the world, alongside many amazing photographers who share a similar passion for UrBex (Urban Exploration). I have been shooting and exploring abandoned buildings since I was a young child, and in my 30s & 40s this led to a series of nude self-portrait work in these places. The Youth and Urban Decay series came about in 2017 while living in Thailand when I photographed 11 year old Benz in the Ghost Hotel of Chiang Mai.
Through my photography, I have been blessed to meet some of the poorest people in the world. I have been welcomed into homes in the slums of India, literal shacks in the garbage dumps of Indonesia, shared a bowl of soup in homes with dirt floors, marched in a marriage equality demonstration in Taiwan, and much more. I welcome the chance to meet real people when I travel and am repelled by traditional hotels, resorts, and tourist attractions.
Most of my work focuses on children and youth and my long term goal is to produce a book of my work that will at first give them impression of the vast differences in cultural, national, and ethnical groups throughout the world, but eventually the viewer/reader will notice the similarities more than the differences.
I am equally interested in shooting children and teens who are drug dealers, addicts, and sex workers as I am those who are athletes, models, and academics. I have been greatly inspired by all of the kids, parents, teachers, and coaches I have met producing my work in over 20 countries since 2015.
Most of my work can be found at christopherryan.com
StateLA
CountryUnited States
